Ferhan & Ferzan Önder | Biography
Piano Duo
“Their immaculate ensemble-playing, their fiery temperament and their virtuoso dexterity are proof of the extraordinary pianistic qualities of the Oenders… they are hot!” [Michael Stenger/Fono Forum]
The twin-sisters Ferhan & Ferzan Oender have established themselves as one of the most promising Piano-Duo of the younger generation in the world’s concert circuit by means of their electrifying playing. They began playing the piano only at age ten. Four years later, they would win the „Jury Special Award” at the International Duo Competition in Terni (Italy). After a series of further prizes, Ferhan & Ferzan won the First Prize at the International Piano Duo Competition in Hamburg.
Extensive concert tours have then taken the pianists through all of Europe, the Far East and America. They have performed in New York (Guggenheim), London (Wigmore Hall), Dresden (Semperoper), Munich (Gasteig and Prinzregententheater), Frankfurt (Alte Oper), Leipzig (Gewandhaus), Stuttgart (Liederhalle), Hamburg (Musikhalle), Berlin (Philharmonie), Bremen (Glocke), Zürich (Tonhalle), Amsterdam (Concertgebouw), Köln (Philharmonie), Barcelona (Palau de la Musica), Istanbul, Tokio (Suntory Hall), Taipeh, Salzburg and their hometown Vienna (Musikverein, Konzerthaus).
The twins have been invited to perform at various music festivals: Rheingau Musik Festival, Salzburg Festival, Beethoven Festival Bonn, Wiener Festwochen, Mozartfest, Würzburg, Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, Festival Classique de la Haute Provence, Sommets Musicaux Gstaad, Festival Meckelnburg-Vorpommern, Istanbul and Eskisehir Festivals, Ludwigsburger, Heidelberger and Weilburger Schlossfestspiele. In 2003, they performed with Sir Peter Ustinov at the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and at the Voestiva in Linz. Similar musical-literary projects led to collaboration with Cornelia Froboess, Armin Müller-Stahl, Friedrich von Thun, Günther Jauch und Roger Willemsen.
Ferhan & Ferzan perform regularly with major orchestras like Staatskapelle Dresden, Mozarteum Orchestra, dem Bruckner Orchestra Linz, Dresdner Philharmonic, Philharmonia Wien, Stuttgarter Philharmonic, Zurich and Stuttgart Chamber Orchestras, MDR Orchestra Leipzig, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano, Haydn Orchestra Bozen, Rheinland-Pfalz Philharmonic, Tonkünstler-Orchestra Niederösterreich, RSO Zagreb and Bilkent Symphony Orchestra Ankara. As a result of successful concert tours in Japan, Ferhan & Ferzan toured all major Japanese cities with the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg with Hubert Soudant. 2004 they returned to Japan for concerts with the New Japan Philharmonic (Christian Arming). Other concert tours took them to Mexico and USA to perform with Florida Philharmonic and Toledo Symphony.
The duo has worked with conductors such as Christian Arming, John Axelrod, Hans Graf, Howard Griffiths, Max Pommer, Ola Rudner, Stefan Sanderling, Hubert Soudant, Muhai Tang, Israel Yinon, Gilbert Varga, Stefan Vladar, Hugh Wolff and Massimo Zanetti.
Their first CD for EMI Classics, displaying Vivaldi´s Four Seasons and the Bach-Variations by Gustav Nottebohm, won the coveted ECHO KLASSIK Prize of the German Phono Academy. The next release of the Oenders for EMI was in fall 2003: 1001 Nights/Sheherezade.
Ferhan & Ferzan Oender initially received their solo training at the Hacettepe University in Ankara, then at the Academy of Music in Vienna with Noel Flores and Paul Badura-Skoda. Since their appearance at the Salzburg Festival on the occasion of being presented the „Promotion Prize of the City of Salzburg” , the twins enjoy a close professional relationship with the Doyen of Piano Duos, Alfons Kontarsky.
In 2003 they have been appointed “Goodwill Ambassadors” of UNICEF.
