Zeynep İlayda Erden was born in 1990 in Ankara. In 2001, she was accepted into Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory, where she began her violin studies with Prof. Murat Tamer. Between 2009 and 2010, she was accepted into Hochschule für Musik und Theater Leipzig, continuing her studies with Carolin Widmann. In 2014, she completed her master’s degree under the guidance of Ellen Jewett at Ankara University State Conservatory, performing in various recitals and concerts. In the same year, she performed as concertmaster of the Turkish National Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, participating in various music festivals both in Turkey and abroad. Actively attending masterclasses with Itzhak Rashkovsky, Ildiko Moog, Mincho Minchev, and Lutsia Ibrahimova, she was invited to the Mediterranean Youth Symphony Orchestra in France in 2017. She continued her doctoral studies with Prof. Ceylan Kabakcı and, in 2024, graduated with high honors from Hacettepe University, earning a Doctorate of Musical Arts. Since 2014, she has been working in the Ankara State Opera and Ballet.