Onur Türkmen is a Turkish composer whose work mainly centres upon two concepts: ‘Hat’, contemplations on Turkish music makams and instruments, and ‘Ritualistic Drama’, that focuses on interconnection between poetry, drama and ritual.
His pieces have been performed by many different ensembles at the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, MaerzMusik, International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM), November Music, Schiermonnikoog and the Istanbul Music Festival, the German Historical Institute International Musicology Congress, the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, and MUSMA among others. His first two ‘Ritualistic Dramas’, Sailing to Byzantium and Songs from a Circle have been performed by the Yurodny Ensemble in 2016 and Diamanda La Berge Dramm in Amsterdam in 2018 respectively. He has also closely collaborated with the Hezarfen Ensemble and Klasik Keyifler.
Türkmen studied composition at the Berklee College of Music and İstanbul Technical University’s MIAM with Pieter Snapper and İlhan Usmanbaş. He is an assistant professor and assistant dean at Bilkent University’s Faculty of Music and Performing Arts in Ankara.
For more information, visit www.onurturkmencomposer.wordpress.com.