Verda Erman with Yamaha grand piano 20140801

Verda Erman (19 December 1944 – 21 July 2014) was a Turkish

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

. Born in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

in 1944, she began her career at the Istanbul Municipal Conservatory. In 1957, she was sent to study at the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), or the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (; CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue Jean Ja ...

under Turkish law no. 6660 for students with "extraordinary talents." She studied under French pianist Lucette Descaves and graduated from the conservatory with the highest honors. Erman then worked with pianist Lazare Lévy to improve her skills on the piano. She also enrolled in lessons on counterpoint and harmony from French composer, Noël Gallon. She gave a series of concerts in Paris before returning to Turkey. Erman performed with the Presidential Symphony Orchestra of Turkey. She won first prize in the Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud Competition (now called the Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition) in Paris in October 1963. In 1965, Erman placed second in the Canada International Piano Competition. Verda Erman was honored as a State Artist in 1971, the year the honorary title was created. She toured extensively around the world as a guest musician after 1971. She enjoyed successful tenures in

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

and

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

. Pianist

Rudolf Serkin Rudolf Serkin (28 March 1903 – 8 May 1991) was a Bohemian-born Austrian-American pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Beethoven interpreters of the 20th century. Early life, childhood debut, and education Serkin was born in ...

invited her to the Marlboro Music School and Festival in the U.S. state of

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

. She continued to perform with the Turkish Presidential Symphony Orchestra as a vocal artist on the orchestra's European tours. Erman died in

on 21 July 2014, possibly of leukemia, at the age of 70.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Erman, Verda 1944 births 2014 deaths Turkish classical pianists Turkish women pianists Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition prize-winners State Artists of Turkey Conservatoire de Paris alumni Musicians from Istanbul 20th-century classical pianists Deaths from leukemia in France Women classical pianists 20th-century women pianists