ENSEMBLE UTAK
Ensemble Utak is an emerging young trio, exploring old and new repertoire for the unique combination of flute, viola and harp. Formed in Berlin during their studies, the group quickly bonded over their shared interest in similar musics. They made their debut in 2022 with a recital as part of Berlin’s ‘Groupmuse’ series, with a program that alternated between trio works and solos, a signature format they continue to embrace. This unique approach allows listeners to experience the individual sound worlds of each instrument while also appreciating the rich interplay of the trio.
u·tak /utɒk/ (pl.) noun 1 roads 2 routes 3 ways
The ensemble’s instrumentation evokes an archaic yet timeless quality—particularly with the flute and harp, among the most ancient musical instruments—yet it also inspires new possibilities in modern repertoire. This duality is reflected in their name, Utak, an ancient Hungarian word meaning "routes, roads, and ways," symbolising their commitment to charting new artistic paths.
Keen to transition into a fluid ensemble lineup, Ensemble Utak is expanding beyond trio performances. In spring 2024, they presented a program featuring viola and harp, including newly commissioned works and transcriptions of contemporary duos for this unlikely pairing.
Their skills as contemporary chamber musicians were further highlighted when they were selected to participate in the prestigious Young Ensemble Academy of Ensemble Modern in summer 2024. During this intensive program, they refined their trio repertoire, participated in workshops with world-class musicians, and culminated their experience by performing alongside Ensemble Modern.
Ensemble Utak is eager to pave new paths in their artistic approach, aiming to provide unique musical experiences.
LISTEN
WATCH
SAMPLE PROGRAMMES
Wheel of Cloud
Torū Takemitsu - And Then I Knew 'Twas Wind
--
Salvatore Sciarrino - Canzona di Ringraziamento (flute solo)
--
Kaja Saariaho - New Gates
-pause-
György Kurtág - Signs, Games and Messages
(viola solo)
--
Toshi Ichiyanagi - Still Time III
(harp solo)
--
Claude Debussy - Sonate En Trio
TRIO|SOLO
C.P.E. Bach - Sonata in Am (flute solo)
--
György Kurtág - Signs, Games and Messages
(viola solo)
--
Sofia Gubaidlina - Garten Von Freuden und Traurigkeiten
-pause-
Benjamin Britten - Suite
(harp solo)
--
Claude Debussy - Sonate En Trio
MEET THE MEMBERS
Mutlu İşdar, the Turkish flautist born in Canakkale, received his musical education at the Bilkent Music High School in Ankara with Prof. Cem Onerturk and at the Barenboim-Said Academy in Berlin with Prof. Claudia Stein, Leonid Grudin and Emmanuel Pahud. He has also won several prizes at chamber music competitions with various groups, and as a soloist at international flute competitions, including a special prize for the interpretation of a contemporary piece at the Marsyas competition. He has performed as a soloist with the Eskişehir Symphony Orchestra and the Presidential Symphony Orchestra in Turkey. Mutlu Isdar is a passionate chamber musician and a member of various ensembles from baroque to modern times. He has had success as a member of the Haydn London Trio with Emmanuel Pahud. He has also had the opportunity to perform at several flute festivals as a soloist, as well as in chamber music groups and orchestras.
Cara Dawson is an award-winning harpist from England, with a reputation spanning various musical scenes. She is a graduate of multiple renowned UK institutions, and is currently persuing her Masters studies with a specialisation in contemporary music at UDK Berlin. Cara has built a career performing in many of UK and Germanys major concert halls, such as Royal Festival Hall and Berlin Philharmonie, under the baton of many acclaimed conductors including François-Xavier Roth, Ilan Volkov and Susanna Mälkki, and with orchestras including Deutsches Sinfonie Orchester and Kammerakademie Potsdam. She has also held harp academy positions in both the London Sinfonietta and Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra. In 2022, she was semi-finalist of the World Harp Competition, in which she presented a program of self-arranged and newly commissioned works for harp and electronics. In the same year, she received second place at NonClassical's compeition for new music ensembles with 'red panel'. a Berlin-based collective Cara co-founded in 2019 whose musical language explores classical and ambient / drone.
Anna Jurriaanse is a violist from The Netherlands. She studied her bachelor’s at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague and is currently doing a masters at the Universität der Künste Berlin. Since a young age Anna has been very interested and enthusiastic about chamber music and is a founding member of the Pelargos Quartet, with whom she performed Stockhausen’s Helikopter Streich-Quartett during Holland Festival 2019. This event sparked Anna’s interest in contemporary music and since then she has been working together closely with composers of today. Additionally, she has been playing with various professional orchestras and ensembles in The Netherlands, such as the Radio Philharmonic and Ludwig Ensemble. In season 2023-2024 she was an academist at the Dutch Philharmonic Orchestra in Amsterdam. In 2024 she was appointed as a viola academist of the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra. In the future, Anna would like to continue the balance between orchestral playing, as well as creating performances with smaller ensembles, not only in the conventional way but with an open mind towards new performance practices.