Kamuran Gündemir

Kamuran Gündemir — Biography

Kamuran Gündemir was a Turkish pianist whose name became bound up with the Ankara State Conservatory and who devoted much of his life to piano teaching. He taught pianists such as Muhiddin Dürrüoğlu-Demiriz, Fazıl Say and Emre Elivar, and was known as the performer who gave first performances of many works by contemporary Turkish composers. He died on 4 February 2006.

Born in Ayvalık in 1933, he grew up with a father who played tuba in the municipal band. He learned to read music at three, and a few years later began playing the accordion and joined a children's band. Adnan Saygun, visiting the Ayvalık Halkevi, noticed his talent and sent him to Ankara. He entered the Ankara State Conservatory in 1949, studying piano with Ferhunde Erkin and composition with Necil Kazım Akses and Ulvi Cemal Erkin. He married a fellow student, the pianist Selçuk Armaner, and the couple worked as assistants at the conservatory. In 1958 they were sent to the Paris Conservatory together, studied under Lazare Lévy, specialised in piano four hands and returned to Turkey in 1963.

Back home he became Mithat Fenmen's assistant, gave duo concerts with his wife; in 1965 he recorded for TRT Ölümsüz Deniz Taşlarıydı, the piece İlhan Usmanbaş dedicated to him. Some time after taking over Fenmen's post he gave up concerts and turned wholly to teaching; his last student was Mertol Demirelli. In 2001 he received the Sevda-Cenap And Music Foundation's Honorary Gold Medal. Since 2009 the Mersin State Conservatory has held a national piano competition in his memory.