Ş Ő L E N D İ K E N E R | c e l l i s t & c o m p o s e r
Cellist Şölen Dikener made his solo debut in 1985 with the Presidential Symphony Orchestra in Ankara, Turkey. Since then, he has maintained an active international career as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States and Europe. He has performed with ensembles including Trio d’Autan, Orpheus Trio, and the Burdick-Thorne String Quartet. Since 1997, he has also concertized with the Capital Trio, the ensemble-in-residence at SUNY Albany.
Inspired by the music of contemporary composers, Dikener has been a passionate advocate for new and underrepresented repertoire. He has championed numerous works for cello and chamber music and has released five world-premiere recordings featuring music by İlhan Baran, İlhan Usmanbaş, Adnan Saygun, Cengiz Tanç, Necil Kâzım Akses, William Matthews, David Walther, Mark Zanter, and Paul Tortelier, in addition to works by Cemal Reşit Rey, Scott Michal, and David Williams.
In 2022, he released his most recent recording, A Beautiful Star, with pianist Yeşim Dikener. The album presents his own transcriptions of songs from the vocal repertoire, reflecting both his artistic versatility and his interest in expanding the cello’s expressive possibilities.
Recognized for his exceptional musical talent at an early age, Dikener was admitted at the age of thirteen to the gifted students program at the State Conservatory in Turkey. Following his graduation, he pursued further studies with Tobias Kühne in Vienna and later spent three years studying with the legendary cellists Paul and Maud Tortelier in Nice, France. He also worked with distinguished musicians including Michel Lethiec, Frieder Lenz, Dennis Parker, Owen Carman, and members of the Guarneri Quartet. He earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Michigan State University.
Dr. Dikener currently serves as Professor of Music at the Marshall University School of Music, where he teaches cello and chamber music. He is also the Founder and Artistic Director of the Datça Cello Academy (Dat.C.A.), an international summer program in Turkey dedicated to nurturing the next generation of cellists through performance, collaboration, and artistic exchange.
Photo credit: Perry Bennett
