İlke Karcılıoğlu was born in İzmir-Turkey in 1978. At the age of 8 he started playing piano and studying theory-solfege with Kamuran Oktay. Karcılıoğlu was admitted to Bilkent University, Faculty of Music and Performing Arts, Theory-Composition Branch in 1996. He studied composition with Bujor Hoinic. In 2003 his orchestral composition of “Finding time again” was awarded second price at Halıcı- Midi composition contest .Following his graduation in 2003, he was enrolled in the masters degree programme at the Istanbul University State Conservatory composition department. He studied composition with Kemal Mete Sakpınar. In 2011 he was awarded a doctorate degree in arts at the same school. İlke Karcılıoğlu’s compositions were performed at France, England, Germany and also Turkey. He is an associate prof. at the İstanbul University State Conservatory Composing and Conducting department.