Volkan Orhon was a finalist and prizewinner in the Concert Artists Guild Solo Competition in New York City, and was the co-first place winner of the International Society of Bassists Solo Competition. Additionally, he distinguished himself as the first double-bass player ever to win the grand prize overall and first prize for double bass at the American String Teacher’s Association Solo Competition.

Orhon has performed with internationally recognized musicians including Gary Karr, Fazil Say, and the JACK, Emerson, and Tokyo String Quartets, and he has played solos with orchestras and recitals around the world. He was one of the performers for the international consortium of Pulitzer-Prize winning composer John Harbison’s Concerto for Bass Viol and Orchestra. Most recently he recorded the Double Bass Concerto with the with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, a work written for him by David Gompper. Mr. Orhon has been an invited clinician to workshops across the U.S. and abroad, including Berlin World Bass Festival, Ouro Branco Festivalin Brazil, World Bass Festival in Paris, and BASS2016 Prague, as well the International Society of Bassists.

He is currently professor of double bass at the University of Iowa.