Elif Ebru Sakar - Bagatelle

Biography

Elif Ebru Sakar

1994 Mersin-born Turkish composer. Started composing little piano pieces during her early-age piano education, experienced her first orchestral scores at the age of 16. While she was 18, she was commissioned by Meininger Trio for her mixed chamber piece “Wind Touch” which was premiered and will be published on cd in Germany, honored as “Youngest Turkish composer commissioned from Europe”. Sakar was also participated to BeethovenFest Bonn as an “Invited Composer” in 2012, the year she was accepted to Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory Composition Department.
Sakar was commissioned by soloists and ensembles from Germany, Switzerland and United States. Her latest piece “Sketches” for clarinet duo was premiered by Selin Gürol and Martina Morello in Lausanne, Switzerland; in Fabruary 2014. She’s been still studying composition with composer Sıdıka Özdil Gardner, in Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory. Her upcoming projects are going to be with Richard Whynn McGuire (percussionist) in United States and with Nicolas Horvath (pianist) during his Japan-Ukraine-Iran-Russia tour in 2014.

Bagatelle

(by the composer herself)

“Bagatelle” was composed on a commission by Nicolas Horvath for “Glass Worlds-Hommages to Philip Glass” concert series with a concept of minimalism. With the composers standpoint of minimalism in a more traditional way, Sakar’s mono-tematic attitude for minimalism has shaped with “Bagatelle” which forms around one characteristic and simple theme variating and cycling around the piece with a traditional use of piano. Composer had aimed listeners, not to be able to follow or anticipate the course, 

but to have just fun in a trice.

Mehmet Erhan Tanman - Glass Waves

Biography

Mehmet Erhan Tanman

Tanman was born in Istanbul, 29 March 1980. He began his musical training with piano lessons which he studied with his father and as a chorist in TRT Child Chorus. Then he completed his part-time education on piano at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University State Conservatory, while he was at primary school. In later years, he studied composition and orchestration with Prof. Dr. Hasan Uçarsu, Prof. Dr. Özkan Manav and Doç. Mehmet Nemutlu, harmony and fugue with Volkan Barut, counterpoint with Babür Tongur and piano with Prof. Selen Bucak at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University State Conservatory, where he has received his bachelors degrees both in composition and piano. His works have been performed in United States, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and Turkey.
'Tanman had his first orchestral concert experience as a composer in 2005 when he was only 16, with his work Symphonic Arrangements on R. Schumann's Album for the Young performed by MSFAU Symphony Orchestra conducted by Erdem Çöloğlu. Incoming years his works and projects were commissioned and sponsored by Bludenz Kultur (Austria, 2008), Triage Modern Music Ensemble (Germany, 2010), La Mer String Quartet (Switzerland, 2011), Presidential Symphony Orchestra (Turkey, 2011), German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (Germany, 2012).[1] and MeiningerMusik (Germany, 2013). Tanman's work for large orchestra The Traffic which was commissioned by Deutsche Welle, premiered by Turkish National Youth Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Cem Mansur, in Radio Berlin Brandenburg (Berlin), Beethovenhalle (Bonn) ve Palais de Beaux Arts (Brussels), as a part of Beethovenfest Bonn 2012.
Tanman has been studying Master of Music degree with Prof. Dr. Hasan Uçarsu at MSFUA State Conservatory and with September 2014 he's going to begin his Master of Music degree studies with Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Rihm at Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe
His works was honored with awards such as Donizetti Classical Music Awards "Young Musician of The Year" (2013), Deutsche Welle Composition Prize (2012), Mersin International Music Festival Composition Competition – Third prize (2010). Beside these awards, a cd production of his work for large orchestra The Traffic which was premiered as a part of BeethovenFest Bonn 2012, was released by Deutsche Welle in 2013.
Beside these, Tanman has been a writer-member of Turkish classical music magazine, Andante and he has been lecturer of composition in Kocaeli University State Conservatory composition department. Tanman's projects between 2013–2015 are going to be with German ensemble Meininger Trio, two new cd projects, a new opera project with Zurich Opera and conductor Sibylle Wagner, a new Concerto for Marimba and Orchestra with percussionist Emil Kuyumcuyan and Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra with clarinetist Selin Gürol under the baton of conductor Orhun Orhon. Nowadays, Tanman has been working on his new solo piano work Transcriptions 2, which he has been composing for pianist Fazıl Say.

Glass Waves

Alp Durmaz - Bustling

Biography

Alp Durmaz

Alp Durmaz was born in 1974 in İstanbul. He took private music lessons such as theory, composition, piano, and form from one of the leading composers of Turkey, Cenan Akın until he entered Bilkent Faculty of Music and Performing Arts composition department in 1994. During his  education at Bilkent University, he studied composition with Bujor Hoinic and Elhan Bakihanov. After graduating from university, he studied contemporary music with Ahmet Yürür and Aydın Esen. With the help of these two significant musicians, Durmaz started using more of modern music techniques in his music. Durmaz has composed music for a movie and a theatre play and some of his works were played by various ensembles in Turkey and Italy. He won two prizes in  International Music Prize for Excellence in Composition Competition both in 2010 and 2011. He is aiming to compose music comprehensible by every level of audience using modern music and traditional Turkish music techniques.

Bustling

(by the composer himself)

The piece titled “Bustling” combines Philip Glass’ style and my own perspective to minimalism. The piece also reflects my perception of Glass’ music. The form  is quite classical in which the “patterns” alter in every 4 or 8 measures. Attention must be payed for the pedal markings to reflect the exact mood of the piece. When played in indicated tempo which is 120, the piece takes about 2’15’’ minutes.