Onur Türkmen

Onur Türkmen was born in Eskişehir in 1972. He came to Istanbul to study environmental engineering at Istanbul Technical University in 1990.  He then went to Boston to study Jazz composition at the Berkley College of Music in 1995. He studied with Bob Brookmeyer, Tiger Okoshi, Aydın Esen and Tim Hodgkinson; and graduated college in 1998. Until 2000, he stayed in Boston and worked as a guitarist and composer with different groups. After he returned to Turkey, Türkmen studied Turkish music theory with Nermin Kaygusuz, and ney with Yavuz Yekta. In 2001, he designed a special guitar model, which is arranged according to the Turkish music system. He gave many concerts using this guitar in different places including Blue Note, New York and Istanbul Akbank Jazz Festival. He composed pieces for the Turkish Music Chamber ensemble “Arayışlar” and in 2003, some of these works were performed at the Istanbul International Spectral Music Conference. In 2008, this performance was published on CD by Pan Publishing along with the Proceedings of the Conference. Türkmen completed his master’s and doctoral degree at the Center for Advanced Studies in Music (MIAM) of Istanbul Technical University. He studied composition with Ken Walicki, Kamran İnce, Pieter Snapper and theory with Mark Linfley, Michael Ellison and İlhan Usmanbaş. Since 2003, Türkmen has performed several improvisation ensembles with Tim Hodgkinson, Nick Hobbs, Christian Asplund, Robert Reigle and Şenol Küçükyıldırım. One of these improvisations with Şenol Küçükyıldırım is published by Pan Publishing on a CD along with Saliha Nilüfer’s novel: “Bir Endülüs Hikayesi”.

Türkmen has worked with Bob Brookmeyer, Aydın Esen, Okay Temiz, Tim Hodgkinson, Kâni Karaca, Tiger Okoshi and Yolga Yayalar. As well as composition works, Türkmen wrote the book titled “Modal Designs for Guitar in Just Intonation” with Ozan Baysal. Starting in 2004 and continuing through 2007, he taught music theory and orchestration courses work at Bilgi University Music Department. He is currently teaching “History of Music”, “Twentieth Century Music”, “Music of Igor Stravinsky”, and “Studies on Modality” courses at Bilkent University Music and Performing Arts Department. He is also the library representative of the faculty and writer of the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra’s concert/recording notes.  His pieces were performed by many different ensembles including Istanbul Modern Music Ensemble, Bilkent Su Trio, Adapter Ensemble, University of Memphis Contemporary Chamber Players, Razumovsky Ensemble, Trio Fem, Duoist and Anahata Ensemble. Lately he composed a piece titled: “Hat: A line for two musicians” written for Duo Arcobaleni’s 2010 Mediterraneus Project. In addition, Türkmen has given many seminars, lectures and attended panels at Boğaziçi University, Bilkent University, Bilgi University and Yapı Kredi Arts Culture and Publishing Department. He also produced and hosted radio programs for Açık Radyo, in which he had interviews with Ilhan Usmanbaş, Kamran Ince and Tolga Yayalar. Türkmen is a member of the Organization committee for the Istanbul International Spectral Music Conference and of BESOM (Association of Composer, Orchestra conductors and Musicologists).

Reference: onurtyrkmen.info, mustafatinc.tripod.com, santralmuzik.com, google.com.tr/images