She took her first piano lessons from her mother Bilge Emeç, an amateur pianist, then from the pedagogue Rânâ Erksan, a student of Cemal Reşit Rey, and then from the Austrian pianist, Professor Friedrich von Statzer. (Statzer married the famous thespian Bedia Muvahhit, becoming a Turkish citizen and thereafter adopting the name Ferdi Ştatzer.)

Subsequently, Emeç enrolled at the Istanbul Municipal Conservatory and graduated from the conservatory at the age of 14, being promoted to upper year groups. She continued her education at the Austrian High School concurrently, and was later sent to Austria at the age of 17 on a state scholarship. Initially working with Elisabeth Leonskaja in Austria, Mehveş Emeç was accepted to the Mozarteum Music University in Salzburg, known as the world’s most famous music center, on a full-scholarship to study under Professor Peter Lang. Following an intensive 8-year period of education in Austria, Emeç completed a double major in concert piano and pedagogy of music, and graduated with a master’s degree.

She won the Bösendorfer Prize in Vienna at the age of 20 before graduating from the Salzburg Mozarteum. This award was followed by the Ravel Award, which she won in France five years later at the age of 25. After these awards, she completed her doctorate in music at Bilkent University that same year.

During these years filled with music as she made her way to the top, the painful loss of the Emeç family on March 7, 1990, marked a cold and grey period not only for the family but perhaps also for Turkey, like those transitional moments of deep silence in music. Today, Mehveş Emec continues to express her love and longing for her father, Çetin Emec, who was proud of her daughter both with her music and with her compositions, and who tended to get more excited than his daughter at her concerts.

In those sad days, Emeç moved to London upon the invitation of Maria Curcio, who was the teacher of world-renowned pianists such as Martha Argerich, Radu Lupu, Barry Douglas, Mitsuko Uchida, Leon Fleisher and Hüseyin Sermet, as her student as well as her assistant.

Between 1990 and 2000, she lived in London both to get away from this painful event in Turkey and to continue her music studies.

Curcio trusted Emeç so much so that she asked her to screen the performance of her students from all over the world, who would first study under Emeç before performing for Curcio, who didn’t have time to regularly listen to all of her students. Emeç never broke her ties with Turkey by giving recitals and concerts in various cities across Turkey, including Ankara, Izmir, Istanbul, Antalya and Eskişehir, and by performing at the IKSV Music Festival. During those years, she also gave interviews and concerts in television programs she was invited as a guest on TRT2 and TRT3 channels.

In 1998, the Republic of Turkey honored Mehveş Emeç with the title of “State Artist”.

She was awarded with numerous “Cultural Achievement Awards” from important non-governmental organizations such as Mehmetçik Foundation in Turkey, Charity Association of Turkey (TYSD), Rotary Association, and the Jaycess Foundation in the USA, as well as various “Achievement Awards” by the private sector and platforms.

Six years after receiving the title of “State Artist”, Emeç resumed her academic career in music becoming an Associate Professor at Marmara University in 2004 and later achieving the title of Professor again from Marmara University 10 years later, in 2014.

From the day she won her first award, Mehveş Emec sought to maintain both her stage performances and academic studies throughout her music life.

While Mehveş Emeç gained her reputation with her Mozart interpretations, Mozart, Schumann, Chopin, Schubert and Ravel all hold a special place in the artist’s repertoire. The Schumann Album, which she recorded at the Wigmore Hall in London, has received great acclaim. The Popular Classics Album, which she recorded afterwards, drew such great attention that it was re-released in 3 different editions. Emeç, whose compositions are also highly appreciated by music lovers, prefers to be referred to as a pianist rather than a pianist and composer because of the original works she has produced in addition to the classical form.

The orchestras, which Mehveç Emeç has performed with include Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, European Youth Orchestra “Tempo de Toulouse”, Orchestre des Jeunesse de Méditerrannée, Volos Symphony Orchestra, Presidential Symphony Orchestra, Akbank Chamber Orchestra, Cemal Reşit Rey Symphony Orchestra, Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra, İzmir State Symphony Orchestra, Antalya State Symphony Orchestra, Eskişehir State Symphony Orchestra and Bilkent Symphony Orchestra.

Among the conductors with whom Emeç has shared the stage are important names such as Howard Griffiths, Michel Tabachnik, Gerhard Wimberger, Tadeusz Strugala, Iosif Conta, Vladimir Conta, Veronica Dudarova, Ionescu Galati, Simeon Kogan, Michael Rochas, Antonio Pirolli, Konstantin Krimetz, Alain Lombard, Jan Stulen, Marc Ursule, Patrick Fournillier, Fahrettin Kerimov, Çetin Işıközlü, Ender Sakpınar, Orhan Şallıel, Erol Erdinç and Rengim Gökmen.

The countries in which Emeç continues to give concerts and recitals are Austria, Germany (Tonhalle), Switzerland, Greece (Megaron), France, Spain, England and Ireland.

In Turkey, in addition to the IKSV Music Festival, the concert halls and private venues where she gives concerts and recitals include the Eskişehir Municipality Culture and Art Palace in Eskişehir; Bilkent Concert Hall and CSO in Ankara; Atatürk Cultural Center, İsmet İnönü Art Center, and Sabancı Cultural Center in İzmir; Antalya Cultural Center Aspendos Hall in Antalya; and AKM, Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall, Lütfi Kırdar, Harbiye Open Air, Çırağan Palace, French Palace and Austrian Palace in Istanbul.

Mehveş Emeç’s virtuosity and the warm bond she establishes with her audience on the stage has gained her love and acclaim from different segments of society as well as the press, which in turn has always placed a special responsibility on.her The artist has also created different works ranging from classical to crossover projects, which have all made a great impression. In these special projects, popular and important artists such as Quarteto Porteno, Sertap Erener, Fatih Erkoç, Yavuz Bingöl, Burak Kut and Candan Erçetin have both shared the stage with Mehveş Emeç and have often sang her compositions.

With the numerous achievements, accolades, awards and titles she has received in Turkey and Europe, Mehveş Emeç is one of the most qualified pianists raised by our Republic. And she is now preparing to share the enthusiasm of the 100th anniversary of the Republic with all lovers of music and the Republic like herself with a special repertoire for the year 2023.