Begüm Aslan

Begüm Aslan is a Berlin-based double bassist. She studied with Gunars Upatnieks and Nabil Shehata and has worked with Daniel Barenboim, Michael Barenboim, Michael Wendeberg, Emmanuel Pahud, Esko Laine, Janne Saksala, Franco Petracchi, Bozo Paradzik, Dorin Marc, Duncan McTier, Artem Chirkov, Miloslav Gajdos, Dan Styffe, Kaspar Loyal and many others. She also participated in master classes by Mikahil Gotsdiner and Yuri Gandelsman in 2015. 

Begüm began winning various prizes and competitions for her bass playing from a young age, including the first prize in the International Dittersdorf Competition. In the summer semester of 2024, she began studying coloratura soprano with Anna Samuil (Hanns Eisler Academy of Music). As a self-taught composer, she has also attended lessons by Jörg Widmann and Zeynep Gedizlioglu. Her double bass music has earned her labels such as "a composer with poetic charm" from personalities such as Lisa Streich and Jörg Widmann. Begüm Aslan actively collaborates with contemporary composers, who have dedicated numerous works to her, for example the extraordinary piece Haiku for vocals and double bass by Stephen Mulligan. Begüm Aslan began studying for a Master’s degree at the Munich Academy of Music and Theatre and at the Frankfurt Academy of Music and Performing Arts; she is currently a member of the International Ensemble Modern Academy. In October 2024, she gave her first masterclass at the invitation of the Bavarian Bass Days in Germany.

She created the Aslan Composition Prize to expand the double bass repertoire, with the first edition receiving 42 applications from 23 countries for the works written for soprano and double bass simultaneously.

The scholarship of Begüm Aslan is funded by the GVL, Crespo Foundation and others.