Identified as one of the thirty most inspiring people under the age of thirty (30 under 30) by Forbes Turkey in 2019, Nisan Ak is a rapidly rising conductor from Istanbul. She has conducted orchestras on four different continents. Her recent engagements include conducting orchestras in cities such as Ankara, Pachuca, Atlanta, Columbia, Vienna, Pärnu, Washington DC, New York City, and more.

Ak is the founder and the music director of the Bruch Chamber Orchestra (BCO). The BCO has a unique position of being an all-female executive team, a rarity in the classical music world, all under 30. The BCO published its first album in 2022 and was listed in four worldwide playlists by Apple, hitting 100k listeners in under two months.

Besides her career in conducting, Ak is a public advocate for both the accessibility of classical music for all and women’s leadership in the workspace. She creates educational outreach videos in both English and Turkish and gives speeches about women’s visibility and leadership. These engagements include the “+90” channel of Voice of America, TedX talk in METU, short documentaries by CUNY, TRT Music, Haberturk TV, and Mercedes-Benz Turkey.

During the 2022-23 season, she conducted orchestras in cities such as Miami, Palm Beach, San Francisco, Bursa, Quebec and more. Her 2023-24 season highlights include closing Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra’s season with pianist ZeeZee and closing Antalya Symphony’s season with violinist Sara Dragan.

Currently, Dr. Nisan Ak holds an adjunct position at the College of Charleston. She is a graduate of the City University of New York’s Masters of Music program in conducting and earned a Doctorate degree in conducting from the University of South Carolina.

Selin Sumbultepe was born in Hatay in 1986 and completed her undergraduate education at M.S.G.S University State Conservatory. She has released two studio albums independently to date. Her first album, ‘Cızgan’, was released in 2017, and her second album, ‘Ben Estim Sen Esme’, was released in 2021.

She combines her experiences with Middle Eastern melodies and Western music, and offers a blend of melodies that are especially based on her own cultural background. Selin Sumbultepe released her new EP “Hemhal” in 2024, produced by Lebanese indie and global music pioneer Zeid Hamdan.

Selin has performed at festivals all over Turkey such as the Istanbul Jazz Festival, Bursa Nilufer Music Festival and Bozcaada Jazz Festival. She has appeared in the Istanbul edition of The Arts Hour, which is broadcast on BBC Sounds as well as in Turkish media. Selin is passionate about taking place on European stages in the coming years and is looking to show herself outside of Turkey.

With her new EP, Selin Sumbultepe may have embraced new idioms, but the thing that has not changed is her storytelling and moving freely between genres. Therefore, Selin’s recorded and live work promise to continue to be interesting.

Nicola Woodward studied basic flute and piano at the Royal College of Music. She won the Eve Kisch flute award and the all-round musicianship award. Nicola has given recitals at the Wigmore Hall and Purcell Room (as winner of the Park Lane Group Competition) and performed live on Classic FM. She has worked with the London Philharmonic and Bournemouth Orchestras and toured South America for the British Council.

Nicola has given many recitals at festivals in the UK, as well as performing extensively on the ‘Live Music Now!’ programme with her brother Justin and the flute/marimba duo. She has also regularly hosted the Prince of Wales at Highrove, Windsor and Buckingham Palace. She recently recorded Koechlin’s 96 wonderful unaccompanied pieces ‘Chants de Nectaire’ on the Hoxa label, and the project was named ‘Classical CD of the Week’ in the Guardian.

Her love of folk music has led her to record a CD of classical music inspired by the folk music of the British Isles, to play and sing Flamenco music and to co-found the Rockhampton Folk Festival, now in its tenth year. Nicola is a musician who believes in bringing music to the wider communities, particularly to disadvantaged groups, and is currently working on a World Music project called ‘Flute Without Frontiers’ to introduce folk styles to young musicians. Woodward currently directs a community choir and is actively involved in teaching in local schools.

The Crescent Quartet is passionate about exploring different musical styles and genres, and building connections with musicians from different cultures. The players bring very rich and varied experiences to their performance and educational work. They have all previously played as freelancers, in other chamber groups, and in a variety of orchestras in the UK, including Bath Philharmonia, Bristol Ensemble, and Brandon Hill Chamber Orchestra. 

 Violinist, Lisa Betteridge, studied music at the University of Birmingham and Trinity College of Music. She has performed numerous small- and large-scale operas with Opera Project, Longborough Opera and West Green House Opera. For thirteen years she was violinist in Trio Paradis which takes concerts to community venues and churches, with a particular emphasis on promoting female composers. Lisa is also very interested in studying and performing early music on Baroque violin.

 Violinist, Alison Francis Black, was a Music Scholar at St Catherine’s College, Oxford, and has been a member of the Lochrian Ensemble for over thirty years performing throughout the UK and in Italy, recording for the BBC and film, and for numerous artists and composers. The Ensemble runs a thriving youth music programme in two North Somerset Schools and collaborates with other musicians and storytellers to create shows to perform in schools. Alison is the caller for her own Ceilidh Band and is an Early Years Music Specialist, working for West of England Music and Arts. 

Amanda Bayley studied viola with Keith Lovell at Dartington College of Arts and won the Croser-Hughes Chamber Music Award at the University of Surrey. She has led research projects with the Kreutzer Quartet and Michael Finnissy, and with the Kronos Quartet. Amanda recently participated in workshops with the Istanbul-based Hezarfen Ensemble, led by musicians from Turkish classical and folk traditions, for the project, ‘Beyond East and West: developing and documenting an evolving transcultural musical practice’, funded by the European Research Council. 

Nick Ullmann started playing cello when he was less than 4 years of age and learnt with David Waterman of the Endellion Quartet and Eileen Croxford at the Royal College of Music. He won the music performance scholarship at the University of Aberdeen. Nick was principal cellist of the Kensington Chamber Orchestra in London for over fifteen years. He works on a music inclusion project in local schools, is the artistic director of a performing arts centre, and orchestra manager of the highly acclaimed Baroque ensemble, Arcangelo.