Orhan Kurt

Orhan Kurt was born in Istanbul in 1930. In his childhood, he was very talented in music and art. In 1957 he met the Karagöz master, Ragıp Tuğtekin, and worked with him for twenty two years as an apprentice. Kurt learned how to make and perform Karagöz figures from Tuğtekin.

Kurt has performed karagöz shadow play in many international festivals. His shadow figures have been exhibited in many museums in Germany, Japan, France and England. In addition to making and performing Karagöz figures, he has also taught music in cultural courses. Kurt has been awarded many times for his contribution to Turkish Culture. He is the second chairman of UNIMA in Turkey. As well as being a Karagöz master, Kurt is an engineer and Tanbur maker and player. He continues to make and perform Karagöz shadow plays at his workshop. In 2010, Kurt was awarded as one of the seven Turkish Living Treasures by UNESCO and the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Reference: karagoz.net; fortunecity.com