Home » Jazz Musicians » Utar Artun

Utar Artun

Utar Artun was born in Ankara, Turkey . In 2006, he arranged musical pieces for the theater play “The 7 Women”. Artun arranged many movie soundtracks and oldies for symphonic orchestra, and the Bursa Regional Symphony Orchestra performed his arrangements and compositions in live concerts such as the 2008-2011 New Year Concert and the International Bursa Music Festival in 2009. Artun performed in 7th Eskisehir Jazz Festival, 12th International Ankara Jazz Festival, 6th International Mersin Music Festival and 25th International Ankara Music Festival. In 2008, Artun graduated from Percussion Department of Hacettepe Conservatory with 2nd Rank (runner-up) Degree of School Placement Award. (Turkey) After graduation, he participated to European Scholarship Tours of Berklee College of Music and graduated in 2.5 years with summa cum laude degree. He was awarded for highly “Honorable Mention” from Berklee Contemporary Symphony Orchestra Composition Competition, Barnes&Noble award, 5 Dean’s List awards, Outstanding Pianist award, Arif Mardin Scholarship Award and Brian Oliver Memorial Award. He was among the finalist of ASCAP’s Morton Gould Young Composers Competition (2010) and Young Jazz Composers Competition (2011). In January 2010 and 2012, one of his compositions was selected to Jazz Revaluation CD. He is currently a JRR artist of Berklee College of Music and Artun was a part of Birds of Feather, Octave and Ripple Effect albums. In October 2011, he performed with Kevin Eubanks in the studio recording session of WGBH Studios - Boston, MA. During his education, He’s been in workshops, concert performances and clinics with Bobby McFerrin, Maria Schneider, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Simon Shaheen, Kenwood Dennard, Jason Linder and David Fiuczynski. He involves into the Rhythm of the Universe Project as an Arranger, Performer and Orchestrator and Planet MicroJam Institute at Berklee College of Music.

Artun has done numerous studio recordings, albums, festivals, concerts and performances in Turkey, Boston, MA and also New York, NY such as Undead Jazz Festival. Artun had performances, touring and clinics in Switzerland (HKB-Bern), France (Paris, Sunset and Nancy, Music Academy International), Austria (Innsbruck- Treibhaus), Germany (Berlin-Aufsturz), Netherlands (Amsterdam- Panama) and Italy (Gezmataz Jazz Festival, Genova). He had a debut performance with Quintet 57 at 19th Istanbul Jazz Festival and 12th Side Culture Art Festival Golden Trombone. He had touring with Jussi Reijonen in Finland along with 8 performances and 5 workshops. Also he had plenty of interviews, TV broadcasts and newspaper-press cuttings in USA and Turkey.

He won the 18th HALICI MIDI Composition Contest and 2nd place in the Berklee Film Scoring Contest 7. In February 2013, He won runner-up award of the SCAMV 1st National Symphonic Composition Contest. Artun is one the highly awarded scholar of Cagdas Egitim Vakfi. He arranged music for video with ROTU called “Bizim Eller Ne Guzel Eller” for the most recent earthquake that devastated the city of Van, Turkey. The music video had numerous broadcasts on national and international TV channels. More than 50 million people watched it.

Read more

Tags

Album Review

Jussi Reijonen: Three Seconds | Kolme Toista

Read "Three Seconds | Kolme Toista" reviewed by Neri Pollastri


Disco tanto sorprendente, quanto interessante, questo Three Seconds | Kolme Toista è la narrazione musicale di un vero e proprio viaggio interiore fatto dal suo autore, il chitarrista Jussi Reijonen. Nato a Rovaniemi, nel nord della Finlandia, Reijonen è però cresciuto prima ad Amman (Giordania), poi a Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Muscat (Oman) e Beirut (Libano), per approdare da adulto negli Stati Uniti, a Boston e infine a New York, dove nel 2011 ha pubblicato il suo primo, ...

21
Album Review

Jussi Reijonen: Three Seconds | Kolme Toista

Read "Three Seconds | Kolme Toista" reviewed by Karl Ackermann


East/West jazz fusion has a long presence on the U.S. jazz scene and that foothold has been growing in the 2000s. Composer/guitarist/oud player Jussi Reijonen is uniquely qualified to bridge musical cultures. Nordic by birth, he has lived in the Middle East, Africa, and the U.S., absorbing native music at each stop. Reijonen's solo debut, Un (Self Produced, 2012), paved the way for Three Seconds | Kolme Toista. The acclaimed debut album incorporated global influences but in a melodic haze. ...

6
Album Review

Giuseppe Paradiso: Parallel Dimensions

Read "Parallel Dimensions" reviewed by Chris M. Slawecki


Parallel Dimensions steers the listener's imagination through a luxurious multicultural tapestry woven in music by drummer, vocalist, composer, arranger and producer Giuseppe Paradiso and his sextet. It explores broad musical horizons that can sound radiantly bright or dark, often features several instrumental or melodic voices at the same time, and is strongly colored and shaped by African rhythms. Parallel Dimensions sort of sounds the way that the cover of Miles Davis' landmark Bitches Brew looks. Two drum pieces ...

Read more articles
Primary Instrument

Piano

Location

Boston

Willing to teach

Beginner to advanced

Credentials/Background

Workshops & Teaching Experience 2013 Feb Run & Teach clinics(workshops) in Finland, Kuopion Konservatorio, Pop & Jazz Konservatorio, Joensuun Konservatorio, Jyvaskylan Ammattiopisto and Sibelius Academy. 2013 Jan Run & Teach workshop for Turkish Air Force Big-Band (Cazın Kartalları) in Ankara 2012 May/Jul Run & Teach clinics(workshops) about micro-tonal music at Hochschule der Künste ~ Bern, Switzerland, Music Academy International ~ Nancy, France, Berklee College of Music ~ Boston, MA and GEZMATAZ ~ Genova.

Clinic/Workshop Information

Read more

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Parallel Dimensions

Ubuntu Music (UK)
2022

buy

Three Seconds | Kolme...

Challenge Records
2022

buy

Metropolitan Sketches

Self Produced
2020

buy

The Veil

From: Three Seconds | Kolme Toista
By Utar Artun

Videos

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.