Gülsin Onay (born 12 September 1954, Istanbul, Turkey) is an internationally acclaimed Turkish classical pianist, celebrated for her interpretations of Frédéric Chopin and Ahmed Adnan Saygun. Recognized as one of Turkey’s foremost musicians, she holds the title of State Artist of the Republic of Turkey and has performed in over 80 countries across six continents.

Born into a musical family, Onay displayed exceptional talent from an early age, beginning piano lessons at the age of three under the guidance of her mother. At just six years old, she gave her first public performance on TRT Radio Istanbul.

Recognized as a prodigy, she received a special government scholarship under Turkey’s Law for Exceptionally Talented Children (Üstün Yetenekli Çocuklar Kanunu) at age ten. This enabled her to study in Ankara with Mithat Fenmen and Ahmed Adnan Saygun, before moving to France to attend the Paris Conservatory. There she studied with renowned teachers including Pierre Sancan, Monique Haas, Pierre Fiquet, and Nadia Boulanger, graduating at age sixteen with the Premier Prix de Piano. She later continued her musical education in Germany at the Musikhochschule Hannover, studying with Bernhard Ebert.

Gülsin Onay gained international attention early in her career by earning prizes at prestigious competitions such as the Marguerite Long–Jacques Thibaud and Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competitions.

Her distinguished career has taken her to major concert halls across the world, performing with orchestras such as the Dresden Staatskapelle, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, St Petersburg Philharmonic, Warsaw Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony, Tokyo Symphony, and many others. She has collaborated with prominent conductors including Vladimir Ashkenazy, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Neeme Järvi, Edward Gardner, and José Serebrier.