“Rudens Turku is a gifted and confident violinist with a gorgeous sound. His playing is unfailingly elegant and optimistic”. – Fanfare Magazine – USA

Born in Tirana Albania, violinist Rudens Turku immigrated to Germany at the age of 14. He studied with Ana Chumachenco at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich. Encounters with such leading musical figures as Neeme Järvi, Ida Haendel, Ulf Hölscher, Denes Zsigmondy and Yehudi Menuhin, left a deep impression on Turku both artistically and personally. After garnering prizes in both national and international music competitions, Turku began his wide-ranging concert career. Rudens Turku has subsequently performed internationally as soloist and chamber musician with such musical partners as Julia Fischer, Alban Gerhard, Arabella Steinbacher, Ana Chumachenco, Wen-Sinn Yang, Eduard Brunner, András Adorján, Hariolf Schlichtig, Milana Chernyavska, Oliver Schnyder, Franz Halász, as well as the Quatuor Ebène and Ensemble Oktoplus, the Capella Instropolitana, the Jena Philharmonic, the Georgian Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, Münchner Kammerorchester.

Since his US debut in Houston, Texas, he has performed in some of the world’s most distinguished concert halls, including London’s Wigmore Hall, CAMI Hall in New York, the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra playing in the Gasteig concert hall, Leiszhalle Hamburg and the Berlin Philharmonic. He has performed at major music festivals in Germany (Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Heidelberger Frühling, Bodensee Festival), England, Switzerland, Italy, France, Belgium, and Ireland, as well as the Mayfield Festival und the Sanibel Festival in the US. Future concerts will take Turku to Brazil, Mexico, the US, the Berlin Philharmonic, and Munich‘s Residenz Theater.

Rudens Turku has recorded five CDs on the English AVIE record label. Both the press and classical music lovers were enthralled by Turku’s 2009 CD, “Homelands” (AV 2166), with pianist Oliver Schnyder.

Luxembourg classical music magazine Pizzicato honored the CD in 2010 with its “Supersonic Award”. Turku’s latest album, “SOUVENIRS – Musiktage with Rudens Turku” was released by Oems Classics in the fall of 2015, and was immediately nominated for the prestigious German Recording Academy Award. In 2017 Turku plans to record Ludwig van Beethoven’s complete works for violin and piano.

Alongside Turku’s solo career, working with and supporting the new generation of young talent stands out as a special concern of his. As a highly sought-after music educator, he appropriates as much time as possible in order to pass on his knowledge to the next generation of musicians. Turku teaches violin at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich, conducts master classes throughout the world, and as professor of violin, teaches at the Vorarlberger State Conservatory in Feldkirch, Austria, and, beginning in 2015, at the Perosi Academy in Biella, Italy. His students continually rank among the top prize winners (e.g. Violin Competition „Rodolfo Lipizer Prize“, Eurovision Young Musicians).

Rudens Turku is founder and artistic director of the Starnberg Music Days (established in 2000), as well as Music Days of the Olympiaregion Seefield (since 2009). In order to support Turku’s tireless engagement with the upcoming generation of musicians, the association “Friends of Rudens Turku e.V.” was organized with the goals of encouraging highly talented young musicians and supporting the world-wide sponsorship of promising young musicians.

In 2013 Rudens Turku received the Culture Prize of the district of Starnberg.