Raised in both Istanbul and Miami, Begüm has always been immersed in performing, composing, and the collaborative world of music. She is currently based in both Istanbul and London, actively working as a freelance musician. Since 2008, she has been performing with the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra as a freelancer. In September 2026, she will continue her studies at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, further developing her artistic voice and expanding her international presence.
Begüm Calimli is a classically trained violinist born in Istanbul in 1988. She began her musical education at the age of six, studying violin and piano. At ten, she was admitted to the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Istanbul State Conservatory, where she studied with Prof. Reşit Nuri İyicil and later graduated from the class of Prof. Pelin Halkacı Akın in 2009.
Throughout her conservatory years, Begüm participated in numerous workshops and masterclasses with distinguished musicians including David Kim, Dora Schwarzberg, Pavel Vernikov, Mintcho Mintchev, Pierre Amoyal, Kurt Sassmannshaus, Vadim Gluzman, Stephanie Baer, Ida Bieler, Domenico Nordio, Lukas David, and Itzhak Rashkovsky.
Begüm has performed extensively across the United States and Europe as an orchestral musician, collaborating with world-renowned conductors and soloists such as Krzysztof Penderecki, Vadim Repin, Daniel Hope, Nemanja Radulović, Lang Lang, Angela Gheorghiu, Maxim Vengerov, Rudolf Buchbinder, Isabelle Faust, Branford Marsalis, Sarah Chang, Katia & Marielle Labèque, Sascha Goetzel, Ludovic Morlot, Julian Rachlin, Thomas Hampson, Fazıl Say, İdil Biret, and the Juilliard String Quartet.
Between 2010 and 2015, Begüm continued her professional career in Miami, studying at the Florida International University School of Music with Prof. Robert Davidovici. During this period, she served as Acting Assistant Principal Violinist with the Miami Symphony Orchestra and performed as a section violinist with the Florida Grand Opera, The Palm Beach Symphony, Southwest Florida Symphony, and the Dominican Republic National Symphony Orchestra. She is currently a member of the 1st Violin Tutti with the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra.
In addition to her performance career, Begüm is a dedicated educator. In 2011, she received her Pedagogical Education Program Certificate for Early Childhood Music Education from Marmara University. She later attended the 8th Starling-Delay Symposium on Violin Studies at the Juilliard School in 2015. From 2015 to 2025, she served as an assistant in Prof. Pelin Halkacı Akın’s violin class at the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Istanbul State Conservatory and taught as a violin instructor in the conservatory’s violin program.
Begüm is also a children’s book author. Her debut book, Nanuk ve Pati Sonatı, addresses the climate crisis through a musical narrative, aiming to raise environmental awareness among children.
Since 2019, Begüm has been active in the field of visual arts, collaborating with contemporary artists on sound compositions and installations exhibited across Istanbul. Her artistic collaborations include projects with Cengiz Tekin, Mehmet Ali Boran, and Murat Germen. She participated in contemporary art programs under the mentorship of Kevser Güler and Tayfun Erdoğmuş, and took part in the Work and Research Program of the 17th Istanbul Biennial, working with visual artist Hale Tenger. Most recently, Begüm created a solo violin composition for the retrospective exhibition of Füsun Onur at the Ludwig Museum in Cologne, dedicated to the artist’s sister, İlhan Onur—marking another significant step in her interdisciplinary practice.
Her interest in the intersection of music and performance led her to study “Acting: An Introduction to Stanislavski and the Method” at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. She continues to explore how performance methodologies can deepen emotional expression in musical interpretation.
Begüm’s commitment extends to youth and community music initiatives. She currently serves on the board of the World Federation of Amateur Orchestras, supported by the European Music Council.
Beginning in September, she will pursue her second Master’s degree at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, studying in the Master of Performance (Guildhall Artist) – Advanced Instrumental Studies Violin program. She performs on a violin crafted by Filippo Fasser and a bow by Daniel Schmidt.