Prof. Özkan Manav

Prof. Özkan Manav was born in Mersin in 1967. During his secondary school years, he took private piano lessons from Hülya Saydam. In 1979-80, he started composition. In 1984, he entered Mimar Sinan University State Conservatory and studied harmony and counterpoint with Erçivan Saydam, fugue, composition and modal music with Adnan Saygun, and history of thinking and aesthetics with Afşar Timuçin. Following his graduation, Manav was appointed as an instructor in the Theory Division of the same institution. Between 1991 and 1996, he pursued his master’s and Qualification in Arts studies in the composition class of Ilhan Usmanbaş. Upon receiving a full scholarship from the Higher Education Council in Ankara, Manav studied composition with Lukas Foss and Marjorie Merryman at Boston University between 1996 and 1999. After earning his doctoral degree on Musical Arts from Boston University, he returned to Istanbul and began teaching composition at his alma mater, Mimar Sinan University State Conservatory. Manav became an associate professor in 2001 and professor of composition in 2009. In the same year he served as the head of Composition and Orchestral Conducting Program. He was a Department Chair of the Composition Division at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University State Conservatory between 2004 and 2009. He was also an instructor in Ayvalık International Music Academy’s (AIMA) composition workshop in 2006.

His works has been performed in Moldavia, Turkey, the Netherlands, the USA, Germany, England, Australia, Morocco, Greece, Austria, Poland, Italy, Denmark, France, Portugal and Japan by ensembles such as Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Moscow New Music Ensemble, members of the Moldavian Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, Eastman School of Music Percussion Ensemble, Boston University Percussion Ensemble, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s 10:10 Ensemble, ALEA III, The MIAM New Music Ensemble, Ametist Clarinet Quintet, Bilkent Su Trio, Boulanger Trio, Interensemble Trio, the piano trios of Storstrøms Kammerensemble and ORCHESTRUTOPICA. His music has been performed in many festivals and meetings such as the Third International New Music Festival (1993, Ankara), International Gaudeamus Music Week (1995, Amsterdam), Berlin-Istanbul Cultural Encounters (1998, Berlin), Istanbul Music Festival 2 (1998, Istanbul), musica viva (concert series of Bavarian Radio in contemporary music, 1999, Munich), Composers Rostrum (2000, Amsterdam), ECUME meetings (2001, Istanbul), Beethovenfest (2002, Bonn), International Eskisehir Music Festival (2003, 2008, Eskişehir), Mediterranean Contemporary Music Days (2003, Istanbul), International Istanbul Music Festival (2004, Istanbul), Türkfest (2004, London), Sarkis: A Milestone (exhibition) (2005, Istanbul), concert series of ALEA III (2006, Boston), the Greek Composer’s Union (2006, Athens), Istanbul Bilgi University New Music Concert Series (2007, Istanbul), La Turchia e le “turcherie” (2009, Lucca), Saison de la Turquie en France (2010, Strasbourg), Music Documents concert series (2010, Tokyo), Mersin International Music Festival (2010, Mersin) and Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture.

Manav is a recipient of the Malloy Miller Memorial Composition Prize (1997, Boston University), the Nejat Eczacıbaşı National Composition Competition, first prize (1998, Izmir), The BMW musica viva Composition Prize, second prize (1998, Munich), the Deutsche Welle Composition Prize (2002, Cologne), Sofia 2010 International Composition Competition, first prize (Sofia), IBLA Foundation special mention (2010, New York-Sicily) and various academic honors in the Composition Department of Boston University (1998 and 1999). In 2011, he received an award in the category of "composer" in the Donizetti Classical Music Awards.

His music has been broadcasted in a variety of radio stations from the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, and Ukraine to Chile. His articles on music and education have appeared in several art journals in Turkey. Manav is the co-author of a book, Müzikte Alımlama (Reception in Music), which will be published in fall 2010. His orchestral music has been recorded for Bilkent Music Production (Ankara, 2001) and Deutsche Welle (Cologne 2002). In 2007 and 2008, his solo violin and solo piano pieces, and percussion ensemble work were issued on CDs by Turkish record company Kalan Music.

Discography:
Dr. Nejat F. Eczacıbaşı National Composition Contest, Manav: Sforzati (Uçarsu, Akbaşlı) (1996, 1998 and 2000, BMP)
Beethoven-Manav DW-Kompositionspreis 2002, Manav: Portamento lento (Erkin, Mozart, Beethoven), (2002, Deutche Welle)
Face to Face with Saygun, Manav: Face-to-Face with Saygun (Saygun, Tongur), (2007, Kalan)
Three Contemporary Composers, Manav: Movements 1-5 Symphonic Dances (Uçarsu, Nemutlu) (2008, Kalan)

Reference: ozkanmanav.com, beethovenlives.net