Ali Rıza Ezgi

Ali Rıza Ezgi was born in Arpaçay in 1949. He finished primary school education in his village. His interest in music and folk poetry developed during his childhood. When he was 12 years old, Ezgi became an apprentice of Aşık (bard) İlhami Demir (1932-1987) with the support of his uncle Aşık Hicrani, and started learning bağlama and the Aşık tradition. Ezgi studied Turkish folk music with him for 12 years. At the same time, Ezgi improved himself while he met with famous Aşıks such as Aşık Şevki, Aşık İslam and Aşık Musa. In Erzurum, Ezgi participated in a competition and received a certificate for being Aşık from the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. After moving to Izmir in 1975, he participated in numerous national and international festivals and received many awards. He has performed in many concerts as well as on various TV programs. His poems have been published in various magazines, newspapers and research journals.

In 2010, Ezgi received Turkey’s Living Human Treasures 2010 Awards from the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism in conjunction with UNESCO. His folk tales have been translated into four different languages and published in the US. In 1972, he released his first album "Şamil." Since then, he has released 12 albums. Currently, Ezgi continues performing in Turkey and abroad.

Reference: cildirmanset.com