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BIOGRAPHY

Cagdas

Soylar

Cagdas Soylar is an internationally recognized Turkish-born pianist, author, and educator based in the United States. A recipient of multiple piano competition awards, she is recognized for her expertise in twentieth-century music, particularly the works of French composer Olivier Messiaen. 

She has also been inducted into prestigious music honor societies in recognition of her achievements as a pianist and scholar.

Soylar has performed extensively throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States at distinguished venues, including the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing and the Verona Philharmonic Theatre in Italy. 

Her upcoming engagements include her Carnegie Hall debut at Weill Recital Hall in 2027. Holding a Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) degree in Piano Performance, she has built a multifaceted career as a performer and educator through solo recitals, collaborative piano, teaching, masterclasses, and educational outreach.

Dr. Soylar is also the author of Messiaen’s Musical Language on the Holy Child (Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2018), a scholarly study of the life, compositional technique, and the musical language of the renowned French composer Olivier Messiaen. Recognized by scholars as “a valuable contribution to modern Messiaen research,” the book is held in the collections of major research libraries, such as the New York Public Library, the Royal Library of the Netherlands, the Hong Kong Academic Library Link, and the College of Europe Library.