Breath of the Harp

"Breath of the Harp”, established by Harp Artist Çağatay Akyol and Ney Artist Bilgin Canaz, each virtuosos with international careers; takes the listener on a magical and mystical journey with the combination of the harp and ney, instruments of ancient timbres dating back centuries away.

Bilgin CANAZ

He was born in 1972, in Çanakkale. He completed his primary, secondary and high school education in Çanakkale. In 1992, he entered the Department of Folk Dances at Istanbul Technical University State Conservatory of Turkish Music. After receiving education in this department for a year, in 1993 he entered the Department of Basic Sciences at Ege University State Conservatory of Turkish Music. During his five-year education in the department he took Classical Turkish Music, Folk Music, Western Music and ney lessons and graduated in 1998.

In 1996, he passed the exam held by TRT Izmir Radio and began to work under contract as an artist.

In 2000, he completed his military service receiving an appreciation plaque. Then he continued his music career at TRT Ankara Radio and participated in many radio and TV programs as neyzen. As a studio musician, he also played the Ney on the albums of various musicians.

In 2003, he participated in a project titled “Sufi from Flamenco”. As a part of this project, he gave concerts in various music festivals held in Holland, Belgium and also in Turkey. The album of this project was released by Kalan Music.

He composed the generic music of the documentary titled “Dünden Bugüne Demir Yolları” broadcasted on Kanal B Television.

He gave concerts as a soloist and neyzen together with Academic Symphony Orchestra of Hacettepe University State Conservatory conducted by Erol Erdinç, Istanbul State Opera and State Polyphonic Chorus conducted by Serdar Yalçın, Ankara State Opera and Polyphonic Chorus conducted by Mustafa Erdoğan and Presidential Symphony Orchestra and Polyphonic Chorus conducted by İbrahim Yazıcı.

He accompanied Greek artist Maria Farantouri and Zülfü Livaneli in Hacettepe Symphony Orchestra and Polyphonic Chorus.

In 2007, together with Istanbul State Opera and State Polyphonic Chorus he performed Mevlana Oratorio as soloist and neyzen at Aya İrini Museum and Aspendos. He gave concerts in USA and Izmir Art Festival together with the group “Tanini Trio” which he formed with kanun player Tahir Aydoğdu and pianist Hakan Toker. He performed as a guest artist in the concert of vocal virtuoso Yıldız İbrahimova.

In 2008, he performed the ney as soloist and neyzen together with Mavi Siyah Flamenco Ensemble in International Ankara Flamenco Festival. Moreover, together with composer and arranger Can Atlilla, he gave a concert in Presidential Palace to the President of Turkey and Queen Elizabeth II of England.

The artist has an album entitled ‘Dokunuşlar” in which he performed pieces from Western and Classical Turkish Music together with the group “Tanini Trio”.

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