The Istanbul-born tenor Ilker Arcayürek, who grew up in Vienna, won first prize at the International Song Competition of the Hugo Wolf Academy, was a finalist at BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2015 and is a former BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist.

He began his operatic career at the Zurich Opera Studio and subsequently became an ensemble member at Stadttheater Klagenfurt and Staatstheater Nürnberg. His roles include Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Idomeneo, Ferrando (Così fan tutte), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni) and Rodolfo (La Bohème), and more recently Max (Der Freischütz) and Erik (Der fliegende Holländer). Guest engagements have taken him to Teatro Real Madrid, the Munich Opera Festival, the Salzburg Festival, Volksoper Vienna and Oper Graz, among others.

Among the stage directors with whom he has worked are, among others, Peter Konwitschny, Claus Guth, Mariame Clément, Christoph Marthaler, Sven-Eric Bechtolf, Kasper Holten, Barbora Horáková, David Bösch, Immo Karaman, Tobias Kratzer, Richard Brunel and Dennis Krauß.

He made his US operatic debut as Nadir in Bizet’s Les pêcheurs de perles at Santa Fe Opera. In 2022 he appeared as Ariel and Pater Ecstaticus in Schumann’s Szenen aus Goethes Faust at Opera Ballet Vlaanderen. Further major successes include Tamino at the Canadian Opera Company Toronto, appearances at the International Edinburgh Festival 2023, and performances in Tokyo (Bunkamura) in 2024 with Bach Collegium Japan.

On the concert platform, Ilker Arcayürek regularly collaborates with renowned orchestras such as the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Tonkünstler Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna, WDR Symphony Orchestra, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre des Champs-Élysées, Orchestre National de Lyon, Danish Chamber Orchestra, Sinfonieorchester Basel and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

He has performed under conductors including Mariss Jansons, Ivor Bolton, Philippe Jordan, Marin Alsop, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Philippe Herreweghe, Riccardo Minasi, Laurence Equilbey, Marie Jacquot, Mikhail Pletnev, Lars Vogt, Masato Suzuki, Ádám Fischer, Maxim Emelyanychev, Matthias Janz, Oksana Lyniv, Jordi Savall, Stephan Zilias and Dennis Russell Davies.

Alongside opera and concert work, art song holds a special place in his artistic activities. He regularly collaborates with pianists including Simon Lepper, Malcolm Martineau, Ammiel Bushakevitz, Daniel Heide, Hartmut Höll and Wolfram Rieger. Recitals have taken him to the International Edinburgh Festival, Oper Frankfurt, Schubertiade Schwarzenberg/Hohenems, Wigmore Hall London, Schubertiada Vilabertran, deSingel Antwerp, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Life Victoria Barcelona, Innsbruck, Stuttgart (Hugo Wolf Academy), as well as to his US recital debut in New York (Park Avenue Armory) and to San Francisco. His recordings have received numerous awards and have been nominated twice for the Opus Klassik Award.

Recent engagements in 2025 included a return to Opera Vlaanderen, where he successfully debuted as Max in Weber’s Der Freischütz. He also makes his Italian debut in Milan with Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano in Handel’s Messiah and tours Europe with Philippe Herreweghe and the Orchestre des Champs-Élysées performing Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, including appearances at Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Bozar Brussels and Elbphilharmonie Hamburg.

Future engagements in the 2025/2026 season include his role debut as Erik in Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer at Theater Osnabrück, several concerts under Jordi Savall at Philharmonie de Paris including Mendelssohn’s Die erste Walpurgisnacht and Beethoven’s Christus am Ölberge, further appearances at Wigmore Hall London, song recitals with Malcolm Martineau at Teatro Arriaga Bilbao, Elijah with the Danish National Philharmonic in Sønderborg, and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra in Istanbul.

Born in Istanbul and raised in Vienna, Austrian tenor Ilker Arcayürek has established an international career spanning opera, concert and art song. A first-prize winner of the International Art Song Competition of the Hugo Wolf Academy, a finalist at the 2015 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition and a former BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist, he has been praised by The Guardian as “in a class of his own” and by Opera Now for his “golden tenor”.

The diversity of opera, concert and art song lies at the heart of his artistic identity, a commitment reflected in the breadth of his recent engagements. These include his debut as Max in Christoph Marthaler’s production of Weber’s Der Freischütz at Opera Ballet Vlaanderen and his role debut as Erik in Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer at Theater Osnabrück, marking a gradual expansion of his repertoire into the jugendlicher Heldentenor fach. At the same time, he continues to explore the Baroque repertoire, with his debut in the title role of Handel’s Acis and Galatea under Trevor Pinnock and his interpretation of the title role in J. C. Bach’s Amadis de Gaule at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie. Further concert highlights include European tours in 2026 and 2027 with Philippe Herreweghe and the Orchestre des Champs-Élysées.

In the 2026/27 season, Arcayürek appears as Tamino in L’ultimo incanto, a production based on Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, at Teatro Alighieri in Ravenna, and takes on the title role in Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito, with performances in Ravenna, Piacenza, Ferrara, Parma and Reggio Emilia. Both productions are staged by Chiara Muti and conducted by Ottavio Dantone. Further highlights include his return to Wigmore Hall London for a Schubert recital, concerts in Madrid in 2027 with the Orquesta Nacional de España under David Afkham, and continued collaborations with Philippe Herreweghe and the Orchestre des Champs-Élysées.

Arcayürek began his operatic career at the International Opera Studio of Zurich Opera House before joining the ensembles of Stadttheater Klagenfurt and Staatstheater Nürnberg. His operatic repertoire encompasses the title role in Mozart’s Idomeneo, Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Ferrando (Così fan tutte), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni) and Rodolfo (La bohème). His engagements have taken him to leading international stages and festivals, including Teatro Real Madrid, the Salzburg Festival, the Munich Opera Festival, Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, Volksoper Vienna, Oper Graz and the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto, where he appeared as Tamino. He made his US operatic debut as Nadir in Bizet’s Les pêcheurs de perles at Santa Fe Opera. Other notable appearances include Ariel and Pater Ecstaticus in Schumann’s Szenen aus Goethes Faust at Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, and performances in Tokyo with Bach Collegium Japan.

Throughout his career, he has collaborated with distinguished stage directors including Peter Konwitschny, Claus Guth, Christoph Marthaler, Mariame Clément, Sven-Eric Bechtolf, Kasper Holten, Barbora Horáková, David Bösch, Immo Karaman, Tobias Kratzer, Richard Brunel, Dennis Krauß and Chiara Muti.

Equally at home on the concert platform, Arcayürek has appeared with orchestras including the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre des Champs-Élysées, Orchestre National de Lyon, ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, WDR Symphony Orchestra, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Tonkünstler Orchestra, Danish Chamber Orchestra and Basel Symphony Orchestra.

He has worked with an extensive range of internationally acclaimed conductors, among them Mariss Jansons, Philippe Herreweghe, Trevor Pinnock, Jordi Savall, David Afkham, Ivor Bolton, Philippe Jordan, Marin Alsop, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Ádám Fischer, Mikhail Pletnev, Lars Vogt, Masato Suzuki, Riccardo Minasi, Maxim Emelyanychev, Laurence Equilbey, Christoph Koncz, Emmanuel Tjeknavorian, Oksana Lyniv, Marie Jacquot, Matthias Janz, Stephan Zilias, Dennis Russell Davies and Davide Ottone.

Art song occupies a particularly important place in Arcayürek’s artistic life. An acclaimed interpreter of the German Lied, he has appeared in recital at Wigmore Hall London, the Edinburgh International Festival, Schubertiade Schwarzenberg and Hohenems, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Oper Frankfurt, deSingel Antwerp, Schubertiada Vilabertran, Life Victoria Barcelona and Teatro Arriaga Bilbao, as well as in New York at the Park Avenue Armory and in San Francisco. His recital partners include Simon Lepper, Malcolm Martineau, Ammiel Bushakevitz, Daniel Heide, Hartmut Höll and Wolfram Rieger.

His discography includes the critically acclaimed Schubert recordings Der Einsame and The Path of Life, both with pianist Simon Lepper. His recordings have received international recognition, including two nominations for the OPUS KLASSIK Award.

Opera · Concert · Lied

İlker
Arcayürek

“A golden tenor.”

— O P E R A N O W

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Press

"Fritz-wunderlichhaft, unmittelbar interpretiert von Ilker Arcayürek"

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , Heidelberger Frühling

Of the “straight” characters, perhaps the most effective was Ilker Arcayürek's Tamino. He is a very stylish singer. His “Dies Bildnis” was lovely and throughout he maintained a pleasing blend of beautiful tone and expressiveness coupled with convincing acting.

Bachtrack - The Magic Flute - Canadian Opera Company Toronto

"Turkish-born Austrian tenor Ilker Arcayürek displayed an affinity with the French technique of leggiero singing, with a superb performance of Nadir’s hauntingly beautiful aria «Je crois entendre encore»."

Opera Warhorses, Santa Fe Opera

“In a class on his own: Ilker Arcayürek has the kind of airy, easily ringing tenor that puts across words beautifully, with power in reserve yet a hint of vulnerability too.”

The Guardian - Der Einsame CD Review

★★★★★

"Tenor Ilker Arcayürek überzeugt in der Rolle des Rodolfo durch sensibles Spiel, edle Bühnenerscheinung und sichere Stimmkultur."

BR-Klassik - La Boheme - Staatstheater Nürnberg

"Through this journey through the songs of Schubert, Ilker Arcayürek brought an abundance of emotion, making for a wonderful showcase of his vocal artistry."

Opera Wire, Park Armory New York

"Tenor Ilker Arcayürek possesses the elements necessary to make Schubert’s worlds come to life. His modesty and sincerity allow the music to speak for itself [...] His handsome voice, flawlessly produced [...] Mr Arcayürek is a superlative artist ..."

Classical Voice, Park Armory New York

"... die Titelpartie singt Ilker Arcayürek. Der ist ein wirklich toller Sängerdarsteller, ..."

Süddeutsche Zeitung, Idomeneo Staatstheater Nürnberg

"Am eindrücklichsten ist Ilker Arcayürek in der Titelrolle [...] importiert sein Charakterporträt eines echten jugendlichen, wiewohl gebrochenen Kerls, dem die breite, gedeckte, zuweilen fahlfarbige Klanglichkeit gut steht."

Opernwelt - Idomeneo - Staatstheater Nürnberg

"This BBC New Generation Artist sings with such freshness and sincerity that even his melancholy is sweetly compelling [...] There is immense potential from this tenor, who has clearly worked hard to get inside these songs, yet doesn’t overburden the poetry with too many artful effects. Schubert, who saw his songs performed casually in living rooms among friends, would love this wonderfully intimate recording."