Suliman Tekalli

A violin virtuoso of extraordinary versatility and artistry, American violinist Suliman Tekalli has captivated audiences worldwide as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral leader.  

As a prizewinner at numerous international competitions, most notably as top prizewinner at the 2015 Seoul International Music Competition, Tekalli has performed as a soloist with orchestras across North and South America, Europe, and Asia, appearing at esteemed venues such as Wigmore Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Seoul Arts Center.  His performances have been broadcast on NPR, CBC Radio 3 in Canada, and KBS TV in Korea.

An accomplished chamber musician, he has appeared at renowned festivals including Music@Menlo, Yellow Barn, and the Banff Centre.  His collaborations include performances with Gil Shaham, Cho-Liang Lin, Donald Weilerstein, Paul Watkins, Wu Han, and David Shifrin.  He regularly tours the continents with sibling and pianist Jamila Tekalli Hanner as the Tekalli Duo.  Mr. Tekalli was a former member of the Grammy-nominated Catalyst Quartet and the internationally acclaimed and genre-defying string quintet Sybarite5. 

Suliman is the current concertmaster of the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and has also led as concertmaster for notable ensembles such as the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, New York Classical Players, Sphinx Virtuosi and the International Sejong Soloists. 

Mr. Tekalli has made a number of transcriptions and arrangements that have been featured in the album Art of Transcription on the MSR Classics label.  His commitment to contemporary music has led to collaborations with contemporary composers such as Caroline Shaw, Paul Wiancko, Andrea Casarrubios, Curtis Stewart, Michael Brown, and Reena Esmail among others. 

A passionate educator, he has given masterclasses across the U.S. and South America and has served as a fellow of Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect.  He has also served as a faculty member over multiple summers at the Sphinx Performance Academy at the Juilliard School  and at the Cleveland Institute of Music.  He has served as a regular coach for talented pre-college student chamber music groups through the New York Youth Symphony Chamber Program since 2021.  The summer of 2026 will see his appearances as a performer and educator at the Rushmore Music Festival in South Dakota, Appalachian Chamber Music Festival in West Virginia, Kinhaven in Vermont, and La Rioja Festival in Spain.

 Tekalli began his violin studies with Russian violinist and pedagogue Lev Gurevich.  He went on to study at the Juilliard School, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and the Yale School of Music, training under esteemed mentors including Hyo Kang, Joel Smirnoff, Sergiu Schwartz and Ayako Yonetani.  He currently resides in New York City and performs on both a 2016 Joseph Curtin violin as well as the 1683 “Cobbett” Stradivarius.