Umut Sağlam

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Born in Ankara in 1998, Umut Sağlam began his cello studies in 2009. After completing his education in Ankara with Tufan Tolga and in Istanbul with Dilbağ Tokay, he earned a full scholarship for his Bachelor's at the Barenboim-Said Academy in Berlin in 2016, studying under Prof. Frans Helmerson and Claudius Popp. In 2024, Umut Sağlam accomplished his Master's degree with Prof. Claudio Bohórquez at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” Berlin. 

Sağlam has won multiple first prizes in international competitions such as the Gaetano Zinetti Competition in Italy, the "Tremplin" Cello Competition in France in 2018, and the International Young Talents Competition held by the Istanbul SSO in 2017. As an active chamber musician, he participated in various festivals such as, Kronberg Academy, Rutesheim Cello Festival, Ysaye’s Knokke, Krzyżowa Music Festival, Ayvalik International Music Academy, where he had the opportunity to study and share the stage with well-known artists such as Daniel Barenboim, Andras Schiff, Jörg Widmann, Steven Isserlis, Gary Hoffman, Gustav Rivinius, Jens Peter Maintz. He was also among the 6 laureates at the “Classe d'excellence de Violoncelle” with Gautier Capucon in Paris. 

In May 2021, he won an audition held by the Konzerthaus Orchestra Berlin and became a member of Kurt-Sanderling Akademie for two concert seasons. Sağlam plays on a cello made by George Winterling in Hamburg in 1914.