November 16, 2006

Turkish composer, pianist Fazil Say performs Nov. 18

World-renowned pianist and composer Fazil Say will give an impromptu performance and present an informal lecture about his life and music Saturday, Nov. 18.

“An Evening with Pianist and Composer Fazil Say” will take place at 5 p.m. in Lutkin Hall. Free and open to the public, the event is sponsored by the University’s Keyman Family Program in Modern Turkish Studies and the Center for International and Comparative Studies.

Born in Ankara, Turkey in 1970, Say studied in Germany at the Berlin Conservatory. His international music career got a rapid start when, in 1994, he was named winner of the Young Concert Artists International Auditions. Say performed this year in Europe and Asia with Japanese violinist Akiko Suwanai, the youngest winner ever of the International Tchaikovsky Competition.

A regular guest with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, National Orchestra of France and other orchestras, Say is as much a composer as he is a pianist. At the 2005 Montreux Jazz Festival, he appeared with Grammy Award-winning vocalist Bobby McFerrin. “Nazim,” an oratorio Say composed that was commissioned by the Turkish Ministry of Culture, is based on the writings of Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet. One of his newest solo compositions will be performed later this month (November) at the 2006 Salzburg Festival.

For information about “An Evening with Fasil Say,” call (847) 467-2770, go to www.cics.northwestern.edu/Events_Speaker_Keyman.html or e-mail m-briem@northwestern.edu.