Baroque by Candlelight: violin and organ in the Fitzrovia Chapel
22 April 19:30 - 20:30
Join organist/pianist Efe Calimli and violinist Begum Calimli for a special concert inaugurating the chapel’s brand new Allen organ.
Tuesday 22nd April 2025
6.30pm: Doors open, drink on arrival
7.30pm: Concert
8.30pm: Concert ends
Join us for an evening of baroque music in the enchanting Fitzrovia Chapel performed by siblings and globally renowned musicians Efe Çalimli (organ) and Begum Çalimli (violin). Including music from Handel, Bach, Corelli and Telemann, this special event will be the inaugural concert played on the Fitzrovia Chapel’s brand new Allen R10 organ.
Tickets cost £10 + booking fee , includes a drink on arrival
The event is wheelchair accessible. For requirements please contact freya@fitzroviachapel.org
The Fitzrovia Chapel
2 Pearson Square
London
W1T 3BF
Begüm Çalımlı: She began violin studies at the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Istanbul State Conservatory under Prof. R. Nuri Iyicil. She completed her diploma and Master’s degree there with Prof. Pelin Halkacı Akın, while participating in masterclasses such as David Kim, Dora Schwarzberg, Pavel Vernikov, Vadim Gluzman, and Itzhak Rashkovsky. She served as Assistant Principal Second Violin with the Miami Symphony Orchestra and performed with Florida Grand Opera, Palm Beach Symphony Orchestra, The Southwest Florida Symphony, and the National Symphony Orchestra of the Dominican Republic. Since 2008, she has been a first violin member of the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra, recently touring the UK in April 2025. She received a Pedagogical Formation Certificate from Marmara University and attended the 8th Juilliard School’s Starling-Delay Violin Symposium. She has served as a teaching assistant at MSGSU Istanbul State Conservatory since 2016. Her accomplishments continued with notable teaching programs at the Conservatorio di Musica Santa Cecilia di Roma and the Artist as Teacher mentorship at the Royal Conservatoire The Hague. She expanded her artistic horizons by studying the Stanislavski Method at UAL: Central Saint Martins and exploring sound art through programs at Berlin University of the Arts (UDK) and Goldsmiths University. Since 2019, Begüm has collaborated on sound compositions and installations with visual artists. She participated in the Work and Research Program of the 17th Istanbul Biennial, working with Hale Tenger. Her recent sound work for renowned Turkish sculptor Füsun Onur’s retrospective has been showcased at the Ludwig Museum in Cologne. She currently serves as the only female board member of the World Federation of Amateur Orchestras and authored “Nanuk ve Pati Sonatı,” a children’s book connecting music and environmental awareness.
Efe Çalımlı: Pianist Efe Çalımlı began his musical career at age nine at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Istanbul State Conservatory, where he later completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees under Assoc. Prof. Hülya Ardıç. His master’s thesis focused on one of César Franck’s greatest last compositions, “Prélude, Choral et Fugue”. From 2016 to 2023, he served as an accompanist and piano educator at both Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Istanbul State Conservatory and Maltepe University Conservatory. Throughout his artistic career, he has performed on national and international platforms and participated in masterclasses with renowned pianists Emre Elivar and Gülsin Onay. His debut solo piano album “Op. 1 ‘A Classical Movement’ and Op. 2 ‘Song from the Earth'” was inspired by his sister’s children’s book “Nanuk and Paw Sonata.”