ÖMER ZÜLFÜ LİVANELİ, singer, songwriter, author, film director, journalist, politician
Omer Zulfu Livaneli was born in Ilgin, Turkey in 1946. After being held under military detention for three months during the coup of March 12 th, 1971, he had to leave Turkey and move to Sweden. After Stockholm, he lived in Paris and Athens, and he returned to Turkey in 1984.
Livaneli’s latest novel “Leyla’s House” was published in Turkey in May 2006; as of today it’s in its 45th edition and a number one best-seller.
His third novel “Bliss”, published in 2002, also a number one best-seller, made 44 editions, became almost a cult work and is recently adapted to cinema in Turkey. In 2005, “Bliss” was published in Greece and Sweden, and in 2006, it was published in France by Gallimard, in the United States by St.Martin’s Press and in Italy by Gremese. Immediately after its publication in the latter, Bliss was awarded by Barnes & Noble, the biggest bookstore chain in the world, with the annually given “Discover Great New Authors” award due to its “superior literary value”. Bliss will soon be published in Norway by Gylendal and in Netherlands by Prometheus/ Bert Bakker. His second novel “One Cat One Man One Death”, his first novel “The Eunuch of Constantinople” and a collection of his stories titled “A Child in Purgatory” have also been published abroad.
Sabri Tulug Tirpan was born in Istanbul, Turkey, on December 28, 1970. In his early years, Tulug enjoyed private music lessons in piano, jazz improvisation, jazz harmony and music theory. He was awarded a full scholarship by Bilkent University, Ankara in 1989, where he studied both composition and piano with such outstanding teachers as Martin Berkofsky and Namik Sultanov (Azize Mustapha Zaddeh’s piano teacher). In 1992, he transferred to the Vienna Conservatory where he studied piano with Gerhard Geretschlaeger and University of Vienna where he studied composition-music theory with Ivan Eröd and chamber music with Avedis Kouyoumdjian.
Born in Izmir in 1966. Took his first piano lessons at the age of 5 from his father who was a musician. Gave his first public concert when he was 10. Attended the Izmir and Ankara State Conservatories. Won the Extraordinary Talent Prize given by the Ankara Conservatory in 1977. Represented Turkey at the Sofia Music Festival in 1979 at the age of 13. Completed the normally eleven-year studies in the Ankara Conservatory in five years and obtained the right to become a member of the teaching staff at the age of 16.
Sinem, pronounced “C”-nem, is an ancient Turkish word meaning “deep from within my heart.” As her name implies, Sinem writes and delivers her music in this very manner. Sinem’s love of music comes from an eclectic selection that include the likes of Bebel Gilberto, Astrud Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Stan Getz, and others that fuel the bossa nova fire and sensual latin rhythms into Sinem’s own music. As a German-born American with Turkish family roots, Sinem is already set apart from her colleagues. Her music is a fusion of several of these influences, from the music she loves, Bossa Nova, to the music she was born into, Turkish, with the music she was raised in, American Pop and Jazz. The end result is music with beautiful, captivating subject matter; awe-inspiring lyrics embraced with sophisticated, infectious melodies; pure, enchanting vocals over sexy, latin and middle-eastern rhythms that leaves any listener completely spell-bound. It’s no wonder her listeners keep coming back for more.
Ayse Önder was born in Izmir, Turkey, to a musician family. She took her first music lessons from her father Selim Önder. She studied composition at the Hacettepe University State Conservatory in Ankara. After her graduation, in August 2000, she went to USA do her dma (doctoral music of arts) at the University of Hartford in The Hartt School of Music, CT, and graduated in August 2006. Between 2004 September and January 2006, she studied at the Koninklijk Conservatorium in Amsterdam with Theo Loevendie. She attended several summer couses for composers, e.g. in Austria, France, England, Germany, and The Netherlands. Her pieces have been performed in Turkey, USA, The Netherlands, Germany and Austria.
Kamran Ince has been hailed by The Los Angeles Times as “that rare composer able to sound connected with modern music, end yet still seem exotic.” Major orchestras and ensembles around the world have performed his work. Concerts devoted to his music recently took place at the Holland Festival, CBC Encounter Series (Toronto), the Istanbul International Festival, Estoril Festival (Lisbon), and TurkFest (London).