Ozgen Performs Kaufman Guitar Concerto in Istanbul

Mesut Özgen will perform the Kaufman Guitar Concerto in Istanbul with the Aromsa Chamber Orchestra
, directed by the extraordinary Turkish musician Cihat Askin, at the Süreyya Opera House on May 17, 2024. The concerto was written by the prize winning American composer Fredrick Kaufman for Mesut Özgen in 2019. Mr. Kaufman talks about the concert as follows:

"I have long been intrigued and excited about the complex rhythms found in Bulgarian and Turkish folk music, which is the cultural heritage of Dr. Özgen. Inspired by these exciting complex rhythms, which became the basis of the 3rd movement of the Concerto, I set to work. The formula I used was: melodic exploration/beauty & rhythm within the traditional 3 movement form of a classical concerto. The relationship between composer and soloist is powerful. For a composer there is no greater pleasure than to work with a world class musician. The guitarist, Dr. Mesut Özgen, has been the epitome of patience, inspiration and positive energy that was invaluable to me as I wrote this work."