Funda Cizmecioglu
Violin
Funda Cizmecioglu is a New York City–based violinist whose work spans classical performance, contemporary music, interdisciplinary collaboration, and crossover projects. She performs regularly in both traditional concert halls and non-traditional immersive venues, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Feldstein Immersion Room at the Avery Fisher Center for Music and Media.
Recent projects include appearing as solo violinist in Meredith Monk’s Indra’s Net, her concerto debut with the Albany Symphony Orchestra, the U.S. premiere of Hafliði Hallgrímsson’s 7 Epigrams for violin and cello, and the world premiere of Magnus Martensson’s Mar Del for violin and piano. She performs regularly with Composers Concordance, collaborating closely with living composers and interdisciplinary artists.
Funda was a tenured Principal Second Violin of the Albany Symphony Orchestra from 2002–2025, and also a tenured member of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra and Ocean City Pops. She is currently Concertmaster of Parlando Orchestra, Assistant Concertmaster of MidAmerica Productions’ Carnegie Hall Series, Principal Second Violin of the New Jersey Festival Orchestra, and Principal Second Violin of The Cecilia Chorus and Orchestra.
Crossing into the worlds of rock, pop, dance, and world music, she has toured and performed with artists including Peter Gabriel, Pink Martini, Gloria Gaynor, Johnny Mathis, Frank Sinatra Jr., Kishi Bashi, Suzanne Vega, Kanye West, Angélique Kidjo, and Max Pollak.
Funda holds a Master of Music degree and a Professional Studies Diploma in Violin Performance from Mannes College of Music at The New School in New York City.
She earned her Bachelor of Music degree from the State Conservatory of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in Istanbul, Turkey.
In addition to performing, Funda is deeply interested in the intersection of movement, physical awareness, and musicianship, incorporating body-mind approaches into her artistic life.
