October 23 was the 100th birthday of the noted contemporary composer İlhan Usmanbaş. To celebrate the occasion, as well as the upcoming Republic Day, the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra performed a concert on the evening of the 23rd consisting entirely of works by Turkish composers. The program included Mr. Usmanbaş’s Symphony for Strings, along with pieces by Cemal Reşit Rey, Ahmet Adnan Saygun, Ulvi Cemal Erkin, Muammer Sun and Bilkent Department of Music faculty member Yiğit Aydın.
Conductor Murat Cem Orhan led the BSO, with bass-baritone Suat Arıkan and pianist Zerin Rasul as soloists.
A major representative of the second generation of Turkish composers of contemporary music, Mr. Usmanbaş interpreted modern musical techniques to create a unique, personal synthesis during the second half of the 20th century. He has received a number of international awards, including the Fromm Award and Koussevitzky Foundation commissions in the United States, as well as prizes from the Wieniawski competition in Poland and the International Composers Tribune in Paris.