Berk Soykan, 1st place winner of the 2019 Drexel Symphony Orchestra concerto competition, is a freshman studying Materials Science & Engineering from Great Neck, New York. He began studying double bass in 2014 with principal bass of the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra, the late Emil Botti. In 2017, he started studying with Andrew Trombley, principal bass of the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra and professor of double bass at New York University.
Berk has performed in several ensembles including the Great Neck North High School Symphony Orchestra, Children’s Orchestra Society, Drexel University Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra, and Penn Symphony Orchestra and at venues including Carnegie Hall, Shanghai Symphony Hall, Verizon Hall, and more. Aside from practicing bass, Berk enjoys reading, listening to a variety of music, sketching, spending time with friends, and attending classical music concerts.