Concert featuring Cihat Aşkın, violin, accompanied by James Lent, piano
PROGRAM
Sonata for Violin and Piano in G Minor (Arr. By Alfred Moffat)
Evaristo Felice dall’ Abaco
Sonata in A Major
Cesar Franck
2 Pieces for Violin and Piano
A piece of Germany
Für Ela (Impossible Restrain)
Münir Nurettin Beken
Melody
Miroslav Skoryk
Hebrew Melody, Op. 33
Joseph Achron
Krunk (Lullaby)
Gomidas Vartabed
Turkish Miniatures
Sari Gelin, folk song arrangement
Kız belin incedir ince, folk song arrangement
Cihat Aşkın
Cihat Aşkın is the international representative of the Turkish Violin School and serves as a cultural bridge between the eastern and western civilizations as a cultural ambassador. He has participated in numerous concerts, festivals, radio and TV broadcasts, conferences, and workshops in four continents and 51 countries. He has shared the products of Turkish and universal music among the world's leading artists on world stages. Apart from his performing career, as an educationalist, he has founded many education and art institutions in Turkey. Having had the opportunity to work with masters such as Ayhan Turan, Rodney Friend, Yfrah Neaman, Igor Oistrakh, and Ruggiero Ricci, Aşkın has gained a renowned reputation as an international violin virtuoso and has been performing in concerts since the age of 11. After graduating from ITU Conservatoire, he completed his master's and doctorate degrees at the Royal College of Music and City University in London. The winner of many national and international awards, Aşkın was honored with the Rome Foyer des Artistes, The Kennedy Center - Gold Medal, Buenos Aires Medal of Honor, Istanbul Music Festival Honorary Award, and the SCA Foundation Gold Medal. He is the founder of ITU Center for Advanced Studies in Music (MIAM), “Cihat Aşkın and Little Friends” (CALF), Aşkın Ensemble, and Istanbul Chamber Orchestra. Apart from being a violinist, as a composer, Aşkın has composed and arranged many miniature pieces and film scores. He is also a most sought-after jury member in many national and international competitions. Aşkın has recorded Kreutzer 42 Etudes, Bach 6 Solo Sonatas and Partitas, and many other notable works. His recordings have been published by Warner Classics, Meridien, CPO, Marco Polo, and Naxos, as well as Kalan Music.
Pianist James Lent is Lecturer and Coordinator of Instrumental Collaborative Piano at UCLA in addition to serving as a coach and accompanist for vocal studies. James completed his DMA at the Yale School of Music under teachers Boris Berman, Claude Frank, and Peter Frankl. He made his Alabama Symphony debut to critical acclaim performing Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No. 2 on 24 hours’ notice to replace Andre Watts.
This event is sponsored by The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music Department of Ethnomusicology and the UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies.