Shapes

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Description +
- The first note of the Shapes was written in a hotel room in Wuppertal. The piece is mainly constructed on a recurring three-note bass line improvisation taken from one of the improvisations I played that I couldn't take out of my head, which is the opening of the piece.
  
  To me, the piece is not only rhythmic and energetic but also melancholic and nostalgic in a way. Some passages of the piece were composed firstly as an electronic music track in the drum and bass style and later transferred onto paper. Some of the ideas came from an improvisation I played, and others came into existence through the intellectual work directly put on paper.
  
  These different working styles and aesthetics nourish each other and are very important to my writing process. As I strongly favour vibraphone's sound, its musical potentiality, and the sense of playing, it was an enormous pleasure for me to write this piece for Vanessa Porter, who came to the idea to commission it.
  
  Emil Kuyumcuyan
Instrumentation +
- Vibraphone
Watch+
- Performed by Vanessa Porter
About the composer +
- Istanbul-born Emil Kuyumcuyan (kuːjuːmdʒuːjɑːn) is a percussionist, composer and electronic musician with Croatian, Greek, Armenian, and African roots. His original identity as a musician is shaped by influences of contemporary-classical, jazz and Anatolian music, which blend into a unique performing language.
  
  Emil tours as a soloist; he creates concert programs consisting of percussion music with new commissions, existing repertoire and his own compositions. He performed as a soloist with AskoSchönberg Ensemble and Choeur de Radio France. He also tours as a member of Les Percussions de Strasbourg and Trio K/D/M and as a guest performer with ensembles including Ensemble Intercontemporain, Ensemble Modern, Boulez Ensemble, Ensemble Ascolta, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Opera de Paris and Slagwerk Den Haag to name a few. Besides his compositions, his concert repertoire includes masterworks from J.S. Bach to living composers' newest pieces. He regularly collaborates with contemporary composers and is active in the multimedia performance and musical theatre fields. In 2019 he made his first audiovisual creation, entitled "I S T A N B U L | the roots", a multimedia performance inspired by the city.
  
  The eclectic musician performs as a percussionist, primarily in the contemporary-classical music scene, and composes instrumental and electronic music. The acclaimed percussionist won first prize at the Tromp International Percussion Competition, the most noteworthy percussion focused international competition. His other accolades include first-prize as a soloist at the Stockholm International Music Competition and a prize for his trio at the International Percussion Competition Luxembourg.
  
  In 2023 he released his first electronic album, It's Not About Me, by WIC Recordings, which incorporates elements of IDM and Drum and Bass while still showcasing his classical music background. He also composes for more diverse instrumental and electronic formations and has received commissions from the Philharmonie Cologne (KoelnMusik), Kunststiftung Baden- Württemberg, IPEA Competition Shanghai, and the World Marimba Competition Stuttgart.
  
  Emil Kuyumcuyan shares his artistic expertise worldwide and is regularly invited as a judge in international competitions; he is also a passionate teacher. He is a Tutor at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, and since October 2023, he is the Professor for Percussion at the HFMDK Frankfurt (the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts). Born in a mélomane house in Istanbul and growing up listening to many musical genres, Emil began his musical education at 12 years old at the Mimar Sinan State Conservatory in Istanbul, where he started playing the trombone before discovering his passion for percussion. In the early periods, while studying in the busy schedule of the conservatory, he learned the profound classical music culture and theory. He also discovered his early and significant musical influences from Metal, Jazz and Contemporary Music, through artists like Metallica, Dave Holland Quintet, Esbjörn Svensson Trio and Pierre Boulez.
  
  After finishing high school, he went to study percussion at the "The State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart" where he learned from Marta Klimasara, Klaus Dreher, Jürgen Spitschka and Harald Löhle. Later, his musical affinity led him to study in France with Jean Geoffroy at CNSMDL (National High Conservatory Of Music And Dance Of Lyon).
  
  Emil has been endorsed by Kolberg, Yamaha and Turkish Cymbals.
  
  Besides all these, he loves to spend time with family and friends, is a Ramen lover, loves to cook, loves the sunshine, a walk in autumn, Paris, linguistics, reading, and doing unneeded stuff.

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