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Cansın Kara - cello

Biography

Born on the 8th of December 1995 in Antalya, Turkey, Cansın Kara began his musical education with basic music lessons and piano at the age of 4, with Nuran Karayel. He was accepted to the Bilkent Univercity, Faculty of Music and Performing Arts, Music Preparatory School, after which he studied cello with Marina Rahmatullayeva (2000-2002) and Gara Aliyev (2005-2010). In 2010, he was qualified to enter the Yehudi Menuhin School, and has since been studying under Thomas Carroll.

Cansın has participated in many masterclasses and workshops including Ayvalık International Music Academy (2005) and the Datça International Summer School - Turkey (2006-2007-2008), workshops organized by the Marshall University Music School - USA (2008) and Meadowmount School of Music - USA (2009) and has studied with internationally acclaimed cellists such as Peter Bruns, Umberto Clerici, Şölen Dikener, Hans Jørgen Jensen, Frieder Lenz, Heinrich Schiff, Miklós Perényi and Natalia Gutman.

Apart from the many routinely scheduled recitals he has given, Cansın has also performed at the Marshall University Music School - USA (2008), Ankara University - Turkey (2008), the Meadowmount School of Music - USA (2009), and Bolu Izzet Baysal University - Turkey (2010). He also performed as soloist with the Mersin University Academic Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Oğuzhan Kavruk) in 2009, playing the Haydn Cello Concerto in C-major; and in 2010 he played the Saint-Saens Cello Concerto No.1 in A-minor with the Bilkent Youth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gürer Aykal.)

The national and international awards Cansın Kara has received include:

• Mersin National Cello Competition / Turkey (2008) - 1st Prize

• Datça International Summer School Cello Competition / Turkey (2007 and 2008) – Young star of cello

• ‘Antonio Janigro’ International Cello Competition / Croatia (2008) - 3rd Prize

• International Cello Competition - Liezen / Austria (2010) - 2nd Prize

Attracting the attention of both his music teachers and national / international musicians with his exceptional talent and enthusiasm, Cansın has been regarded as an extremely promising young cellist from the very beginning of his education. Internationally acclaimed Turkish cellist and music educator Şölen Dikener regards Cansın as one of a rare group of young musicians “possessing technical and musical maturity beyond his age.”

Cansın Kara was selected as the ‘young soloist’ of the 41st Istanbul Music Festival, 5th March 2013 - details: In addition he performed on the 10th June 2013 concert at the Joseph Haydn’s C Major Cello Concerto No.1 with the Istanbul University State Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, directed by Ramiz Malik Aslanov.

Newspaper article in Turkish from the dailies Hürriyet and Milliyet of the award ‘Aydın Gün Teşvik’ awarded to Cansın, January 2014.

To read the interview: