Olga Lockenkopf, a Swiss composer and interdisciplinary artist, was born in 1979 in Istanbul. She spent her childhood there until moving to Zurich in her early teens, where she was strongly influenced by her parents—renowned linguists and archaeologists specializing in antiquity and Arabic studies. Her older brother is now a respected journalist and foreign correspondent in Japan.
From an early age, Olga displayed exceptional musical talent, especially on the piano and harmonica, earning her early recognition as a prodigy. At the age of eleven, she composed her first piece—a musical setting of Shakespeare’s Sonnet No. 7.
Her artistic development was shaped by the Viennese School and the Turkish compositional tradition of the 1960s and ’70s. In addition, Olga draws inspiration from the folk music of Greece, Turkey, Portugal, Central Asia, and Russia. Influences from the Soviet-Russian compositional school are also evident in her works.
Today, Olga lives and works independently in Vienna. Her creative work is often marked by a deep nostalgia for Saint Petersburg—her favorite city, whose atmosphere plays a central role in many of her pieces.
Alongside her musical career, Olga is also a gifted visual artist, focusing particularly on painting ceramics. She loves spending time by the sea, where she has won multiple awards as a swimmer and finds new inspiration for her creative work. Greece, in particular, serves as an ideal retreat for her, though she occasionally longs for her birthplace, Turkey.
In contrast to the current societal trend of “the more public, the better,” Olga prefers to dedicate herself to her artistic work in private. Her way of life is rooted in the belief that true depth in music and art can only emerge through intimate devotion, personal engagement with the world and oneself, and warm exchange with close friends.