American violinist and ethnomusicologist Audrey Wozniak came to Türkiye in 2015 to explore its musical traditions. More than a decade later, the country has become central to her work as a performer, researcher and educator.
Born in Hawaii and later raised in Texas, Wozniak began studying music at age 6. She became interested in the violin after watching violinist Itzhak Perlman on the children’s television program “Sesame Street.”
Wozniak grew up studying works by Western composers including Beethoven, Bach and Mozart. A year of study in Japan during high school broadened her interest in other cultures, leading her to study Chinese and explore traditional music from Azerbaijan, the Uyghur community, China and Indonesia.
She later met Iranian kamancheh player Kayhan Kalhor, who suggested she visit Istanbul. Wozniak came to Türkiye in 2015 and was introduced to ethnomusicology, the study of music in its cultural and social contexts.
She went on to earn a doctorate in ethnomusicology from Harvard University. She now divides her time among the United Kingdom, Istanbul and Rize, using concerts, research and television programs to explore connections between Turkish music and other traditions.
