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[Press Release]Ahmet Ertegun Memorial Scholarship Awarded to Juilliard Students from Turkey
10/27/2008
New York, NY – Monday, October 27, 2008 – The American Turkish Society is proud to announce that the 2008-2009 Ahmet Ertegun Memorial Scholarship has been awarded to two Turkish students this fall, Kazim Cokogullu and Burak Ozdemir. The scholarship, launched by The American Turkish Society last year in memory of the late Ahmet Ertegun, founder of Atlantic Records and long-time chairman of The Society, supports talented musicians of Turkish descent in their studies at The Julliard School in New York City.
Kazim Cokogullu was born in Izmir in 1984 and began guitar studies at age thirteen. A student of Kagan Korad, he received his bachelor’s degree with honors from Bilkent University and won prizes in several international competitions. He has had additional study with Marco Socias, Carlo Domeniconi, Roland Dyens and Dale Kavanagh. Last season Kazim was a soloist in the Mauro Giuliani Guitar Concerto (Op.30) with the Anatolian University Orchestra was named a “Star of the Future” by the Andante magazine. Later this month he will be the soloist with the Cukurova State Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez. At Juilliard, he is a graduate diploma student of Sharon Isbin.
Bassoonist Burak Ozdemir was born in Istanbul in 1983.He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Istanbul University Conservatory and an additional degree from the University of Arts in Berlin. His experience includes serving as a substitute in the Istanbul State Symphony and Philharmonic, and he was a member of the Istanbul Opera and Ballet Orchestra. Before coming to Juilliard, Burak studied in the early forerunners of the bassoon and their repertoire, and looks forward to participating in Julliard’s new program in historic performance. Currently, he is an artist diploma student of Frank Morelli.
As the first recipients of the Ahmet Ertegun Memorial Scholarship, these two talented musicians fulfill the program’s mission in the best way possible, as they further their education at The Julliard School while contributing to greater cultural understanding between the United States and Turkey. The American Turkish Society hopes that the scholarship will continue Mr. Ertegun’s legacy of promoting talented artists and wishes Mr. Cokogullu and Mr. Ozdemir much success in their studies and future careers.
The scholarship recipients are selected by The Juilliard School. Only the students accepted to Juilliard are eligible for consideration. For information on applying to Juilliard, please visit the School’s Web site at www.juilliard.edu. Members and friends wishing to make a tax-deductible contribution to the Ahmet Ertegun Memorial Scholarship fund or find out more about the education and arts & culture programs of The American Turkish Society, may contact Selen Ucak, Executive Director, at 212.583.7614 or selen.ucak@americanturkishsociety.org. For more information on the American Turkish Society, please visit www.americanturkishsociety.org
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