About
Cem Babacan | Piano
Described as “a musician who has mastery over his instrument and an amazing interpretive power, despite his young age” by conductor Howard Griffiths in the Swedish press and as “an extraordinary performer, virtuosic and poetical” by Fazıl Say, Cem Babacan was born in 1988.
Babacan gave his first recital at the International Serignan Piano Festival after being awarded the 1st prize at the Yves Nat International Piano Competition in France. He was then invited, in 2008, to a concert held in New York Steinway Hall and awarded the “Yamaha Scholarship Award” in the same year.
After graduating from Hacettepe University State Conservatory with the highest academic degree in his department and faculty, he was admitted to the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow and studied with Alexander Mndoyants. He graduated from Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Conservatory with the highest degree, a “red diploma”.
Cem Babacan received the 1st Prize in almost all the competitions he attended. Among these competitions are the Second National Kamuran Gündemir Piano Competition (2011), First National Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory Piano Competition (2012), and Gümüşlük International A.A. Saygun Piano Competition (2013).
The recital he gave in Tonhalle, Zurich, one of the most significant venues in Europe, in the spring of 2012 was met with wide acclaim, particularly from the Swedish press. Following this recital, he was invited to Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester (Germany) as a soloist and gave concerts.
Babacan, performed as a soloist with distinguished orchestras, including the Presidential Symphony Orchestra of Turkey, Bilkent Symphony, Izmir State Symphony and under the direction of conductors Francesco La Vecchia, Alessandro Cedrone, Antonio Pirolli, Francesco Di Mauro, Raoul Grüneis, Alparslan Ertüngealp, Can Okan.
Cem Babacan has performed at many prestigious concert halls and festivals such as London Steinway Hall, Moscow Conservatory Rachmaninov Hall, 3. Region Concert Hall in Paris, Renens Municipality Concert Hall in Lausanne, Auditorium Assurances in Vendome, Festival Classics (Switzerland), Antalya International Piano Festival (Turkey) Gümüşlük International Music Festival (Turkey), IKSEV International İzmir Festival and also performed together with the artists such as Celine Moinet, Rui Lopes, Ellen Jewett, Nikita Mndoyants, Başar Can Kıvrak, Gökhan Aybulus, Deniz Toygür and Nil Kocamangil.
In 2018, Babacan made the world premiere and the recordings of Cem Oslu’s Piano Concerto with İzmir Festival Orchestra and Ateş Pars’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with Hacettepe Symphony Orchestra. In the same year, together with pianist Başar Can Kıvrak he also made the Turkish premiere of Max Bruch’s Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra with the Presidential Symphony Orchestra.
The artist currently teaches in İstanbul Maltepe University Conservatory and also the member of Keyboard Charitable Trust in London. He continues his career as soloist as well as with chamber music.
Reviews
— British conductor Howard Griffiths
— Fazıl Say
— İdil Biret
Videos
CONTACT PERSONS
LocksBridge Artist Management represents Pianist Cem Babacan for worldwide general management.