Sei Solo 2020 Musicians
Ayşen Ulucan
Turkish violinist Aysen Ulucan was born in Bulgaria and began playing the violin at the age of four under the guidance of Ebru Yunkus and Ozcan Ulucan. She entered Istanbul University State Conservatory and studied with V.Varshawski and G.Burova until her high school graduation in 2003. Subsequently she was admitted to Musikhochschule Freiburg (Germany) and completed her Under-and Post-Graduate Studies at the classes of Prof. Rainer Kussmaul and Prof. Muriel Cantorreggi.
Over the years she has attended masterclasses with A.Erduran, V.Pikaizen, R.Fain, Z.Bron, C.Askin among others.
She is also active as a soprano and has sung roles in Rameau's “Les Indes Galantes” and Mozart's “Don Giovanni”; having worked with singers and stage directors such as Igor Folwill,Ulf Bastlein, Edda Moser and Claudia Visca.
Currently living in the UK, she continues her career as a soloist, chamber and orchestra musician,working with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and BBC Symphony Orchestra among others.
Camilo Mendez
Camilo Mendez is a composer of acoustic concert music. He conceives his works as compositional cycles; series of pieces orbiting around the same musical ideas, but written for different instrumental combinations. He completed a Doctorate and a Master’s in advanced composition at the Royal College of Music in London. He has also studied privately with Rebecca Saunders and Pierluigi Billone. In 2017, Mendez was the Rieman and Baketel Fellow for Music at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University.
His music has been performed by ensembles and soloists who specialize in contemporary concert music and has been featured in such international festivals as Festival Internacional Cervantino, the International Summer Course for New Music Darmstadt, June in Buffalo, Klasik Keyifler, the Mallorca Saxophone Festival, and Next Generation Donaueschingen. In 2009, he was awarded the Colombian national prize in composition for his work Tropical Textures VI. He has held residencies at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and Willapa Bay AiR.
Dr. Camilo Mendez joined the Department of Music at HKBU as Assistant Professor in 2018.
https://soundcloud.com/ca-mendez-san-juan/tracks
Didem Çoşkunseven
Didem Coskunseven is a composer, sound artist and electronic musician based in Berkeley, CA.
Coskunseven’s works vary between acoustic compositions for ensembles, electronic music,
installations for gallery spaces and productions for stage focusing on creating multi-sensorial experience.
She performs as an electronic musician, collaborating with dancers, choreographers and video designers.
Coskunseven studied visual arts, philosophy and music composition in Istanbul. Since
graduating from Center for Advanced Studies in Music, ITU, she participated in several
contemporary music festivals and workshops in Europe, Turkey and the United States. She is
currently continuing her Ph.D studies at the department of music at UC Berkeley.
Kerem Tuncer
He was born in Bursa in 1997.
At the age of 7, he started his education in Violin graduated from Bilkent Music and Performing Arts High School,
He was 1st in the Arthur Grimaux Violin Competition held in Belgium in 2014.
Composition with prominent composer Tolga Yayalar worked as a conductor with Julien Salemkour, although he was the youngest participant in Rengim Gökmen's master class, and directed the Karşıyaka Chamber Orchestra. became a chef.
In 2018, was invited to the Divan Orchestra by Daniel Barenboim and became a member of this orchestra. With this orchestra, he gave concerts in the world's biggest halls such as Royal Albert Hal, Berlin Waldbühne, Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney Hall, Chicago Symphony Center, Kennedy Center, Salzburg Festspielhaus, Lucerne KKL during the Summer and Autumn tours.
He was one of the 4 musicians selected by Barenboim to perform at the Wasmuth Lecture organized by the prestigious and famous Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin, where he performed Carter's Fantasy.
He was accepted as a full scholarship by Daniel Barenboim in 2015, and he has the chance to be both the first Turkish student and one of the first students of this school. He still continues his education here with Michael Barenboim. .
Mert Moralı
Mert Moralı (b. 1992) is a Berlin-based composer, originally from Izmir, Turkey. He holds Bachelor’s degrees in Theory-Composition from Bilkent University and in Composition from “Hanns Eisler” Berlin School of Music. Also during his Bachelor's, he studied at Music Conservatoire Vigo for a semester and at Royal Academy of Music, London for a term as an exchange student. He studied composition with Turgut Pöğün, Tolga Yayalar, Juan Eiras, Wolfgang Heiniger, and Edmund Finnis. He relates his compositions to the themes like linguistics, autobiography, poetry, and politics.
He attended composition workshops, led by composers including Mark Andre, Giorgio Battistelli, Joanna Bailie, Oscar Bianchi, Raphaël Cendo, and Isabel Mundry.
His piece "Die Produktion des Bewusstseins" for soprano and trumpet won the 1st prize in Wilde Lieder Marx. Music Composing Competition.
His music has been heard across festivals in Europe, Asia, and North America, such as Ultraschall Berlin, Red Note New Music Festival, Forum Neue Musik, <Incubating 003>, Bilgi Music Days, Bilkent New Music Days, and performed by professional ensembles such as, Array Ensemble, Ensemble Dal Niente, Hezarfen Ensemble, United Instruments of Lucilin, Ensemble KNM Berlin, Modern Art Ensemble Berlin, Ensemble Mis-en, Duo LuKo, Ensemble Proton Bern, and Plug.
Currently, he is doing his Master’s in Composition at “Hanns Eisler” Berlin School of Music, under the supervision of Eun-Hwa Cho.
Can Bilir
As a composer, guitarist, and scholar; Can Bilir’s music is multifaceted. In his interdisciplinary works, he focuses on contemporary soundscapes, audio production and design, and music in the Anthropocene, as well as qualia and affect as embodied through complex pitch perceptions and timbre. His works have been performed in myriad geographies including the US, Europe, West Asia, and Southeast Asia. He has been commissioned for Grammy winning and nominated musicians such as the Aizuri Quartet with Kinan Azmeh for the MET in New York (2018), Ariana Kim for the CCA Biennial in Italy and NY (2016 – 2017), and JACK Quartet (2016). He also participated in European music festivals as a MusMa composer with I Solisti del Vento (2014 – 2016); commissioned for Xak Bjerken and Rachel Calloway with critically acclaimed poet Ishion Hutchinson, and created for numerous other projects.
Dr. Bilir completed his DMA at Cornell University in 2019, where he worked as a lecturer, the assistant conductor of the Cornell Symphony Orchestra, a graduate teaching assistant for the theory track, and the assistant of the Cornell Electroacoustic Music Center. He has additionally earned an MFA from Cornell University and an MM in composition from Bilkent University. He was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for his graduate studies in the US. His work was further shaped through his experiences at Harvard University (2017 – 2018), with the IRCAM/Eastman School of Music new music theory program in Paris (2017), and his self–conducted research in France and Germany (2017). His principle mentors have been Kevin Ernste, Roberto Sierra, Chaya Czernowin, Steve Stucky, Tolga Yayalar, Turgut Pogun, Kagan Korad and Kursad Terci. Dr. Bilir additionally holds a BM in guitar from Bilkent University. He performs with electric and nylon string guitars, self-built instruments, and readymade objects, and is interested in experimental music, rock, and partimenti.
https://canbilir.com/audio-samples/
Muhammedjan Sharipov
Muhammedjan Sharipov was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan into a musical family in 1994. He took his first violin lessons at the age of seven from his first teacher Mikhail Makhmudov, and entered the state conservatory of Antalya at the age of eight where he studied with Zeynep Işık. In 2008, he became a member of National Doğuş Kids Symphony Orchestra which is the only kids orchestra in Turkey. He was awarded the third prize in the First Gulden Turalı National Violin Competition in 2004, won the third prize again in The International Arthur Grumiaux Competition for Young Violinists in Belgium in 2014 and the First Prize in Remember Enescu International Violin Competition in Romania in 2015., He participated and played in International Canetti Festival in 2006, Burdur Young Talents Festival in 2011 and 2012, International Izmir Festival in 2010, International Klasik Keyifler (KK) in 2012 and II. International Bilkent Violin Days in 2016. He had an opportunity to play to Maxim Vengerov in the Pre-Selection of Wieniawski Competition, also worked chamber music with Vladimir Zverev, Stiliana Stavreva, Özcan Ulucan, Ellen Jewett, Peter Langgartner, Wolfgang Redik, Imre Rohmann, Alasdair Tait and Rainer Schmidt. He graduated from High School of the Bilkent University in 2013 and admitted to Universität Mozarteum Salzburg. Muhammedjan Sharipov is currently studying under Prof. Harald Herzl.
Mert Kocadayı
Kocadayi was born in Izmir/Turkey. He started his music career in 2002, at Izmir Music&Fine Arts High School as a viola student and right after has began composition studies individually.
In 2007, he's accepted to Bilkent University, Faculty of Music and Performing Arts, Theory and Composition Department in Ankara. There he has been instructed by Uğraş Durmuş, Turgut Pöğün and Tolga Yayalar.
In 2015, he's accepted to Mozarteum University, department of Composition as a master student. Kocadayi continues his studies there with Reinhard Febel and lives in Salzburg.
Engin Dağlık
Engin Dağlık is a composer, artist and performer who essentially explores the potential of space by combining different fields of art in his works. He is mostly interested in producing works that aim to recreate and re-shape the perception of space in order to make viewers and listeners re- imagine the site transformed by the work. He enjoys designing and producing works for concert, gallery and public spaces by implying different immersive audio techniques, using concrete materials to create explicit structures.
Since graduating with a Bachelor of Music from the Istanbul Bilgi University in 2017, Engin has participated several festivals, workshops and exhibitions around Europe and Turkey. After completing Master of Arts in Music at Bilkent University, he is currently pursuing his DMA at Stanford University. Besides composing and producing, he regularly performs in various projects and free improvisation sessions as a drummer.
Cellos
Gökhan Bagcı
Bağcı was born in Antalya in 1990. He was the principal cellist in Turkish National Philharmonic Orchestra, Ankara Youth Symphony Orchestra and Jungenc Philharmonic Orchestra. BAGCI also played in Ankara Philharmonic Orchestra, Antalya State Symphony Orchestra, Bursa Regional Symphony Orchestra, Istanbul Akbank Chamber Orchestra, Marmaris Chamber Orchestra, Samsun State Opera and Ballett of Orchestra and Orchestra Academic Başkent. He was also a part of Istanbul Youth Orchestras Festival ,Berlin Young Europe Festival, Festival of the Nations and Brunckner Festival under the names of orchestras above. In Istanbul Music Festival with the conductor Cem MANSUR, he played in the Turkey Premier of the Los Angeles Symphony by Arvo PART.
In 2012 Bağcı joined the Hezarfen Ensemble and he played the Turkey premier of Michael ELLISON’s contemporary opera “Mevlana, Say I am”; and the world premier at Rotterdam Operadagen. He also played for the CD recording of this opera. He played a solo at Hezarfen Ensemble´s opening concert at “Manzara Istanbul”. Moreover he played concerts at the 22.
Akbank Jazz Festival with the Yurodny Ensemble and within the Europe tour of Hezarfen Ensemble at the MaerzMusik Festival in Berlin (Kammermusiksaal der Philharmonie and Haus der Berliner Festspiele)He attended to the master classes such as, Prof. Peter Bruns, Johannes Moser, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Markku Lulojan-Mikkola, Wolgang Boettcher, Ruth Phillips, Mauro Valli, Benyamin Sonmez, Cağ Ercağ, Şölen Dikener, voilinist; Ellen Jewett, Özcan Ulucan,Orhan Ahıskal, Ruşen Güneş, Harald Herzl and he regularly joins concerts with Klasik Keyifler, Orchestra Academic Başkent, Hezarfen Ensemble, Trio Ba, Begoa Ensemble, Ankara Youth Symphony Orchestra and Borusan İstanbul Philharmonic Orchestra every year. He is also artistic co-director of KK.
https://www.mehmetgokhanbagci.com/
Can Kazaz
Can Kazaz as an Istanbul born musician, in 2009 he left physics studies and begin to study music in İstanbul Bilgi University. During undergradute studies he attended Erasmus exchange program to study composition in Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. His acoustical and electronic pieces were played in various cities of Turkey and Lithuania. He took his bachelor’s degree from Istanbul Bilgi University Music Department as being the highest graded student of his year with high honors degree. He was awarded honorary mention for his piece “Ada” in Pre-Art Contest for Composition.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkwmX2uWicIDcRsktQQkJbA
Senay Uğurlu
‘Senay Uğurlu’s -Monachopsis- raises magical colours to glowing expressivity.’
Luzerner Zeitung
Coming from a non-musician family, the composer Senay Uğurlu (b.1997)began her musical studies by playing the piano at an early age. After her piano education at Ankara State Conservatory, she started Bilkent University Music Preparatory High School as a #autist then she was accepted to Bilkent University Faculty of Music and Performing Arts Music Theory and Composition department for her bachelor's degree.
In addition, she was awarded the 3rd prize with his work 'Monachopsis II: Kintsugi' in the 12th Pre- Art Competition organized by Pre-Art Soloists in 2020. Since her education, she has participated in important masterclasses and festivals such as Lucerne Festival Academy, Impuls Festival, Klasik Keyi#er Composer Cauldron, Bilkent Composition Academy, International Young Composers Academy in Tchaikovsky-city and at those festivals, she had the opportunity to work with valuable composers such as Beat Furrer, Wolfgang Rihm, Dieter Ammann, Isabel Mundry, Mark Andre, Hanna Eimermacher, Samir Odeh-Tamimi and Mahir Cetiz.
Her pieces have been performed by Ensemble Modern, Ensemble Cairn, Hezarfen Ensemble, Ensemble Reheard, Birdbrains Duo, Ensemble X, Collegium Novum Zürich and Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra Ensemble in reading sessions and various concerts.
Some recent performance of Uğurlu was “Çeper” for 5-ch %xed medium, under the 8th exhibition organized by the Ankara branch of TMMOB City Planner Chamber, named “Geography of Emotions, Ankara” was exhibited at Contemporary Arts Center.
Uğurlu has the German premiere of her piece, “Monachopsis I: Mirror” at Oper Frankfurt, under the moderation of Wolfgang Rihm during the Happy New Ears concerts with Ensemble Modern and has the French premiere of her piece “dep. R(i)e. vi. la. tion” written for the ensemble in 2019, has been performed at Philharmonie de Paris, under Tremplin de la Création concert series with Ensemble Cairn. Also, the same piece of hers had made its Europe Premier in Luxembourg, by the United Instruments of Lucilin in Luxembourg under the festival 33.7 Hours, in Kulturfabrik Esch-sur-Alzette.
For further projects; Uğurlu got a new commission from Divertimento, IRCAM-Centre Pompidou and Fondation Royaumont, with the support of the ULYSSES Network, supported by the European Union’s Creative Europe program. The new work will be written for the ensemble and electronics in collaboration with IRCAM and will be premiered in 2023 during the summer concert tour in Milan- Paris- Abbaye de Royaumont with ULYSSES Ensemble. The award-winning piece of her “Monachopsis II: Kintsugi” written for Pre- Art Soloist, is expected to be premiered in 2023, in Switzerland. Within this season, her cello solo piece “this feeling of déjà vu” which was commissioned by Klasik Keyi#er Sei Solo 2020 project, written for Gökhan Bağcı, recorded at Ada Müzik Studio, Istanbul, will be released in 2022-3.
Dorukhan Doruk
Prize winner of various international competitions, including the “X. Witold Lutoslawski International Cello Competition”, Dorukhan Doruk has already appeared in major concert halls such as Vienna Konzerthaus, Tonhalle Zurich, Victoria Hall Geneva, Warsaw Philharmonic Hall. Born in 1991 in Istanbul, Doruk began playing cello in 2000 with Dilbağ Tokay in his hometown, and then continued with Claus Kanngiesser at the University of Music und Dance Köln, and with Truls Mørk at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo.
He won numerous awards at international competitions such as 2nd Prize and 2 special awards at the X. Witold Lutoslawski International Cello Competition in Poland, 1st prize and 5 special awards at the Antonio Janigro Cello Competition in Croatia, 1st prize at the Liezen Cello Competition in Austria, 3rd prize at the Bodensee Music Competition in Germany, 1st prize at the Lions European Music Competition in Belgium, 1st prize at the International Young Musicians Competition “Citta di Barletta” in Italy. In 2011 he has been awarded as “Young Musician of the Year” at the Donizetti Classical Music Awards.
He made his debut as a soloist when he was 13. Since then, he performed with various orchestras such as Warsaw Philharmonic, Württembergisches Kammerorchester, Zagreb Soloists, Slovak Sinfonietta, Seongnam Philharmonic Orchestra, Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra, Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra, Izmir State Symphony Orchestra, Bursa State Symphony Orchestra, Eskisehir Symphony Orchestra, Budapest Strings, Kurpfälzisches Kammerorchester, Les Symphonistes Européens, Filarmonia Istanbul and Presidential Symphony Orchestra of Turkey. He performed with Fazıl Say, his cello sonata "Four Cities" during their concert tour in Turkey, as well as in Switzerland and Austria.
Doruk appeared as a soloist in prestigous festivals such as Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Verbier Festival, Istanbul Music Festival, Bodensee Music Festival, Eskisehir Festival and Ozawa-Matsumoto Festival. In some masterclasses and workshops he had the opportunity to work with renown cellists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Gary Hoffman, David Geringas, Steven Isserlis, Ralph Kirshbaum, Jens Peter Maintz, Torleif Thédeen, Antonio Meneses, Philippe Muller, Joel Krosnick, Wolfgang Boetcher. In 2013 he participated to the Seiji Ozawa International Academy.
He was a scholar of the DAAD for 4 years and he is also laureate of other foundations such as Villa Musica, Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now, Dr. Carl-Dörken Stiftung, Doms Stiftung. He also was a scholar of the “Young Musicians on World Stages Project” for 7 years initiated and mentored by Güher and Süher Pekinel with the financial support of Tüpraş.
https://www.dorukhandoruk.com/
Alican Çamcı
Alican Çamcı’s output includes works for small and large ensembles, electro-acoustic compositions, solo instrumental music, and sound installations. His recent works feature an investigation of sound as a potentially documentary medium. He seeks to explore this aspect through the use of field and speech recordings, found sounds, everyday materials in relation to the performative dimension introduced by the musicians in a live situation.
His music has been performed by ensembles such as Ensemble Dal Niente, ECCE, eighth blackbird, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Ensemble Mise-en, International Contemporary Ensemble, Le Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Oerknal!, Spektral Quartet, the [Switch~ Ensemble], and soloists such as Jerfi Aji, Miranda Cuckson, Gleb Kanasevich, Ciro Longobardi, Andrew Nogal, Heather Roche, Eva Zöllner, and Stas Venglevski. In addition to his concert music, his collaborative work with the Turkish filmmaker and media artist Deniz Tortum have been featured in festivals and exhibitions such as IFFR 2020, Sharjah Biennial Istanbul Offsite 2017, IFF Colombo 2014, SXSW 2013, !F Istanbul 2013, and 22nd Istanbul Short Film Festival. Currently he is a Ph.D. candidate and lecturer at the University of Chicago.
Aida Shirazi
Born and raised in Tehran, Iran, Aida Shirazi is a composer of acoustic and electroacoustic music. Shirazi’s music is described as “deliberately unfolding” by The New York Times, “well-made and affecting” by The New Yorker and “unusually creative” by San Francisco Classical Voice. In her works for solo instruments, voice, ensemble, orchestra, and electronics she mainly focuses on timbre for organizing structures that are often inspired by Persian and English languages and literature, as well as Iranian classical music.
Shirazi’s music has been featured at festivals including Manifeste, Mostly Mozart, New Music Gathering, Direct Current, and Tehran Contemporary Music Festival in venues such as Maison de la Radio France, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, National Sawdust, The Roulette, and the DiMenna Center. Her works are performed by Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, International Contemporary Ensemble, Ensemble Dal Niente, Quince Ensemble, Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, Miranda Cuckson, and Klasik Keyifler performers.
Currently, Shirazi is a Ph.D. candidate of composition at the University of California, Davis and works with Mika Pelo. She has attended masterclasses by Kaija Saariaho, Raphaël Cendo, and Mark Andre among others. Shirazi holds her B.A. in classical piano performance from Tehran University of Art (Iran), and her B.M. in music composition and theory from Bilkent University (Turkey).
Shirazi will be a participant of IRCAM’s “Cursus Program in Composition and Computer Music” in the 2020-21 academic year.
Poyraz Baltacıgil
Poyraz Baltacıgil was born in 1994, in Istanbul. He started playing violin at the age of 5 and decided to play the cello when he was 6. He entered the cello class of Hakkı Öztürk at The Istanbul University State Conservatory as part-time student. In 2005, Poyraz started the Conservatory of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University as a full-time student at Dilbağ Tokay's class and graduated in 2015. Same year he has been selected as a master student to the class of Jean-Guihen Queyras. He has played important works of cello repertoire (Dvorak, Schumann, Shostakovich, Haydn, Elgar, Bach, Monn’s concertos) with Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra, Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra, Presidential Symphony Orchestra, Cemal Reşit Rey Symphony Orchestra, Istanbul State Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Eskişehir State Symphony Orchestra, Academic Capital Orchestra, Izmir State Symphony Orchestra, Karsiyaka Chamber Orchestra, Anadolu University Orchestra, and Istanbul Philharmonia. He worked with conductors including Rengim Gökmen, Sascha Goetzel, Antonio Pirolli, Naci Özgüç, Massimiliano Caldi, Koji Kawamoto, Hakan Şensoy, Ertuğ Korkmaz, Yalçın Adıgüzel, Erdem Çöloğlu, Murat Sümer and Nikos Haliassas.
In 2011, he got the 3rd Prize in "International Competition Young Virtuosos" in Bulgaria, in 2014, he got the 1st Prize at "Benyamin Sönmez National Cello Competition" with Natalia Gutman's jury leading. He has also been selected "The Best Young Musician of the Year 2016" by Andante Classical Music Magazine.
During his study, he has played to many world-known cellists as; Yo-Yo Ma, Alexander Rudin, Natalia Gutman, Steven Isserlis, Martin Ostertag, Johannes Moser, Maria Kliegel, Wolfgang Boettcher, Tomasz Strahl, Christoph Henkel, Tristan Cornut, Reşit Erzin, Gustav Rivinius, Martti Rousi and Knut Weber. He took a part as an active-student at Rutesheim Cello Academy in 2014 at Wen-Sinn Yang's class.
He gave a recital at "Shining Stars of İş Sanat" series in 2015. After that, he has been invited to İş Sanat Festival's Opening Concert with Borusan Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Sascha Goetzel. He played Beethoven's Triple Concerto with Hande Küden and Ferhat Can Büyük.
At the moment, Baltacigil works as Associate Principal Cellist at Borusan İstanbul Philharmonic Orchestra. Also he teaches at the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. Poyraz is a Larsen Strings performing artist.
Cengiz Hakkı Eren
Guitarist-composer Hakki Cengiz Eren’s music has been performed across the United States, Europe, Brazil and Turkey. Some of the renowned soloists and ensembles he has worked with include Garth Knox, Juliet Fraser, Émilie Girard Charest, Ensemble Schallfeld, Ensemble Móbile, Ensemble Suono Giallo, Ensemble Composit, Schwerpunkt Ensemble, Ecce, Argus Quartet and Ensemble Modern.
In 2017 he has been commissioned by the Royaumont foundation to write a new work for the Meitar Ensemble, an achievement that also gained him a residency at the Camargo foundation in 2018. Among several international awards he has been recognized with are the Hans J. Salter Music Memorial Award, 1st prize in MIGF composition competition, Peter David Faith Memorial Award, BNMI Call for Scores, CEMI Circles Call for Scores, Kirkoskammer Composition Competition (special commendation), Donald Aird Earplay Competition (finalist), Mdi Ensemble Call for Scores (Finalist) and the prestigious American Prize for Composition (finalist).
His music is influenced by mysticism, psychoacoustics, microtonality, electroacoustic endeavors and Turkish folk music, to name just a few. An approach that prevails often is the merging of seemingly unrelated narratives, an attempt to bring together disparate entities under a reflective discourse. Usually one encounters a forlorn entity, barely able to justify its own reason to exist, stripped off its identity, attempting to come into being.
Cengiz has participated in various international festivals, workshops and masterclasses, including the Royaumont Voix Nouvelles, Ticino Academy, CEME, Sound of Wander, Darmstadt Summer Course, Festival Mixtur, Impuls Academy, IlSuono Academy, Composit Festival, Musiikin aika, Etchings Festival, Soundscape Festival and the Los Angeles Micro-Fest. In such environments he has studied so far with internationally renowned names like Clara Iannotta, Philippe Leroux, Alex Mincek, Pierluigi Billone, Dimitri Kourlandski, Stefan Prins, Simon Steen-Andersen, Mauricio Sotelo, Klaus Lang, Francesco Filidei, Beat Furrer, Franck Bedrossian, Mark Andre, Onur Türkmen, Joël Bons, Brian Hulse and Michael Quell.
He has completed his Bachelor’s degree in guitar performance at the Peabody Institute. This was followed by a Master’s degree in composition at University of Michigan. He has recently obtained a DMA in composition from the USC Thornton School of Music, where his main teachers have been Stephen Hartke, Donald Crockett and Sean Friar.
Recently, teaching has been an important part of his current activities, and he is now a lecturer at Near East University, Department of Music.
Idil Özkan
İdil Özkan is a pianist and composer. İdil graduated from İstanbul State Conservatory- Piano Performance. Won awards in several competitions as a pianist and accompanist, including the 3. Prize in Mozart Competition in Rome and 1. Prize in Jugend Musiziert Competition in Cairo. İdil also graduated from Boğaziçi University- Psychology concurrently. She got interested in jazz and improvisational music, and went to Berklee College of Music to study Film Scoring and Jazz. She worked with composer- pianist Lera Auerbach in New York City. After returning to Turkey she completed her master’s degree in composition at İTÜ-MİAM (Müzik İleri Araştırmalar Merkezi) where she worked with composer Michael Ellison. İdil writes contemporary classical music as well as music for film and Tv projects, enjoys improvisations and creative collaborations with artists in various fields. Nature is a big inspiration, so are music and books.
Music is a transcendental communication, whose effects on listeners cannot be explained or replicated systematically, which makes it one of the few fields humans excel over artificial intelligence. Currently, I am interested in experimenting with this transformational quality, specifically in creating music that simulates and encourages a free-flowing state of mind, similar to the one experienced between being awake and asleep.