Eda Pacaci

a horn player originating from Turkey, has been the 1st/3rd horn player of the Basel Symphony Orchestra since the 2018/19 season. From 2016 to 2018, she was engaged as the principal horn player at the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn. Before that, she was employed as a utility horn player in the orchestra of the Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern, Germany.

Her decision to become a musician was likely influenced not only by her talent but also by a dedicated primary school teacher in her homeland, who sang with all the children and fostered the most talented ones from an early age. As a result, she received excellent vocal training at the age of seven and sang in the Ankara Radio Children’s Choir (TRT).

During this time, she began her long-term musical education at the Hacettepe University, the State Conservatory in Ankara, where she started horn lessons with Prof. Erol Gömürgen at the age of eleven. Later, she switched to M. Cem Akcora. At the State Conservatory, she attended the high school and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree. During this period, she was a prize-winner in various national competitions, such as “Young Musician of the Year” by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and the Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe Competition, and participated in various international youth orchestras. At the age of 17, she received her first permanent orchestra engagement as a horn player with the Presidential Symphony Orchestra in Ankara.

Half a year later, she was awarded a scholarship for Young Musicians by the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) and began her horn studies in 2005 at the University of Music and Theatre “Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy” in Leipzig with Prof. Thomas Hauschild. Following her successful completion in Leipzig, she pursued a Master’s degree in Chamber Music/Horn at the State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart with Prof. Christian Lampert. She also received lessons from the renowned horn pedagogue Prof. Erich Penzel.

She gained further orchestra experience, among others, with the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, the Staatskapelle Halle, at the Frankfurt Opera, the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne, and the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne. In addition to orchestra activities, chamber music in various ensembles is a significant passion for the young musician. She is regularly engaged at various master classes and festivals for her high pedagogical skills.