Guitar

Friday
February 24, 2017
7:30 pm
WPAC Concert Hall

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Wednesday
February 22, 2017
7:30 pm
WPAC Concert Hall

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Masterclass

Thursday
February 23, 2017
10:00 am-12:00 pm
WPAC Concert Hall

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Since his concert debut at the age of 6, Celil Refik Kaya has received accolades for his myriad accomplishments at an early age. In addition to winning First Prizes in the prestigious 2012 JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition with the Buffalo Philharmonic and the 2016 Boston GuitarFest Competition, he is also a top prizewinner of many other international guitar competitions in Sofia Bulgaria, Naxos Greece, Vienna, Istanbul, and throughout the United States, highlighted awards winner at top competitions such as 2012 Guitar Foundation of America (GFA), Indiana International Guitar Competition, Schadt String Competition, Philadelphia Guitar Competition, Texas International Guitar Competition, Pearl and Julius Rising Young Stars, Columbus State and Louisville Guitar Competitions.

Kaya appears as a soloist and international artist touring around the United States and Europe. As a concert soloist, he has collaborated with professional orchestras such as the Buffalo Philharmonic, Istanbul State Symphony, Bilkent Symphony, Round Top Festival Orchestra, Brevard Festival Orchestra, Lake Placid Sinfonietta, etc. which Celil has gained his great artistic recognition internationally. He conducted many masterclasses in the Music Festivals and Universities throughout the United States and Europe.

He had presented the premieres of concertos by Roberto Sierra (Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra), Derwyn Holder (New Jersey Baroque Orchestra), Leonard Handler, and Suleyman Alnitemiz (Istanbul State Symphony). Celil’s first album “Music of Jorge Morel” is going be released by leading record company NAXOS in 2016.

Born in Istanbul, Turkey in 1991, Celil Refik Kaya began his interest in classical guitar at the age of six with his father, Dr. Mehmet Refik Kaya. Early main instructors included generation- influenced educators such as Yusuf Doğan Büyüköğüt, Raffi Arslanyan, Soner Egesel. When he was 19, Celil earned his Bachelor Degree of Music from the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University State Conservatory with the Highest Honor Degree in Istanbul, and was granted the “Excellence” Scholarship from the Turkish Educational Foundation. During his Bachelor’s degree he studied composition with the famous Turkish composer Mehmet Nemutlu.

Kaya expended his worldwide notice throughout the time he pursued his Master Degree of music in New York City at Mannes College The New School For Music. As a full-scholarship student, he has also received the Excellence in Performance Awards by the Mannes College the New School for Music. Kaya proudly studied in the studio of Michael Newman (the disciple of Andrés Segovia, Oscar Ghiglia and Albert Valdes Blain) as well as private studies with Grammy awards-winning guitarist Sharon Isbin. During his master’s degree he studied composition with renowned guitarist-composer Frederic Hand. Kaya is currently receiving the Harrington fellowship and teaching assistant –at the University of Texas at Austin’s Butler School of Music as a candidate of Doctoral Degree of Musical Arts program 3rd year, in the studio of prestigious guitarist of out time, Adam Holzman.

Kaya performed in some of the most prestigious concert halls and the festivals around the United States including solo recital, concerto performances and master classes on the D’Addario Performance Series at Carnegie Hall, The Frick Collection Museum in NYC Summer Artists series, New York Guitar Seminar Festival at Mannes College, Round Top Festival in Texas, Brevard Music Festival in South Carolina, Raritan River Music Festival, also numerous Radio broadcast and concert performances throughout United States and Turkey.

Besides a concert soloist, Kaya is also known as an avid composer, with about 100 compositions to his credit, including works for solo guitar, violin, piano, string trio, duets, sonatas etc. His chamber and instrumental works were performed throughout United States, Turkey, South Korea and Australia Sydney’s Opera House. He also enjoys chamber music, playing traditional Turkish music and training martial arts during his spare time.

www.celilrefikkaya.com