FERHAT CAN BÜYÜK – BIOGRAPHY

 

Ferhat Can Büyük was born on December 26, 1997, in Istanbul. He began his piano studies at the age of five with Aytaj Rızaguliyeva. In 2008, he passed the placement exam of Istanbul University State Conservatory and was accepted into the piano class of Prof. Meral Yapalı. In the same year, he won the “Promising Pianist” award at the KASDAV events organized by the Municipality of Kadıköy.

 

He gave his first public performance at the age of six at the Marmara University Concert Hall, and at fifteen, he performed his first concerto with the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Antonio Pirolli.

 

He took his first step into the international music scene with a solo recital at the “Bitola International Classical Music Festival” in North Macedonia, held in the historic Monastir Military High School building—now a museum—where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk once studied.

 

In 2015, he was chosen as the winner of İş Sanat’s annual “Rising Stars in Memory of Meriç Soylu” concert series. That same November, he performed in the opening concert of the İş Sanat Festival with the Borusan Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Sacha Goetzel. His performances and interviews were featured on national television and in major cultural sections of the press.

 

He received a masterclass scholarship from “The International Holland Music Sessions,” awarded to promising young international talents. In 2016 and 2017, he performed recitals in prestigious halls throughout the Netherlands as part of the same program.

 

In 2016, he was admitted to the piano class of Prof. Ewa Pobłocka at the Feliks Nowowiejski Music Academy in Bydgoszcz, Poland. He represented Turkey at a “Chopin Memorial Concert” held in Warsaw, organized jointly by the Turkish Consulate and the Chopin Foundation. He was also featured in a full-page interview in the Polish newspaper Gazeta Pomorska. He shared the stage with musicians from various countries in the “International Urban Culture” concert and performed pieces from his recital repertoire on a live broadcast on Radio Polska.

 

On May 3, 2018, he won the Grand Prize at the 31st Antonin Chopin Piano Competition, which selects top international students studying piano in Poland. Following this achievement, he was invited to give a recital at the closing concert of the 37th International Chopin Festival in Autumn Leaves, one of Poland’s most distinguished festivals. The performance took place at a historic venue before an elite audience.

 

On October 7, 2018, he won First Prize at the 9th International Bitola Piano Competition in North Macedonia. He also received the Jury Special Prize, awarded to the most outstanding performer among all category winners.

 

On November 12, 2018, he appeared as a guest on Polish National Radio PIK. During the broadcast, he gave a recital at the station’s concert hall, attended by Polish music enthusiasts. The concert attracted significant media attention and was covered in numerous culture and arts publications.

 

Between June 1–5, 2020, he won First Prize in the solo piano category of the 27th Musica Classica Competition in Moscow. He stood out as the only non-Russian awardee among a jury of distinguished professors from internationally renowned conservatories, including the Tchaikovsky Conservatory. In the same year, he won the award for the best Beethoven interpretation in the international "Malaysia Virtual International Music Competition".

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The young pianist has performed in many prestigious concert halls, including the newly renovated Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM), and collaborated with prominent conductors such as Gürer Aykal, Cem Mansur, and Nayden Todorov. He has appeared as a soloist with leading orchestras such as the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra (IDSO), the Borusan Philharmonic Orchestra (BFO), and the Çukurova State Symphony Orchestra (ÇDSO). Selections and recordings from his recitals have been broadcast multiple times on TRT3 Radio’s Classical Music Program.

 

He completed his undergraduate studies in Poland in 2020, supported by scholarships from the Borusan Kocabıyık Foundation and the ENKA Foundation. He graduated with high honors, submitting a thesis on the common elements in the music of A. Adnan Saygun and Béla Bartók. He was then accepted into the master’s piano program of Prof. Jarosław Drzewiecki at the same conservatory. In 2022, he completed his degree with top honors, presenting a thesis on Ulvi Cemal Erkin’s Impressions.

 

Ferhat Can Büyük has participated in masterclasses with many legendary pianists, including İdil Biret—one of the first pianists raised by the Turkish Republic—as well as Pavel Gililov, Andrzej Jasiński, Andrei Diev, Andrzej Frölich, Dmitri Alexeev, Pavel Raskin, and Matti Raekallio, receiving their praise and recognition.

 

He is currently pursuing doctoral studies at the State Conservatory of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University under the supervision of Prof. Selen Bucak, continuing his artistic journey through concerts and album projects.