Today we’d like to introduce you to Bengisu Gokce.
Bengisu, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I was born in Istanbul, Turkey and grew up in a Southern city called Mersin. When I was 6 years old, got accepted to Mersin University State Conservatory’s part-time music program with my brother. After taking theory and solfege classes for one year, the committee decided me to play violin and I started with my first teacher Ebru Yunkus.
At first, didn’t want to play violin at all. My brother was accepted as a piano student and I always wanted to follow whatever he did, I was too fond of him. Started to play piano almost more than him and not practicing violin enough. One day, his piano teacher called me to her room and said “Bengisu, you have to let your brother practice. I forbid you to touch his piano as of today.” I remember how sad I was but that pushed me to get connected with violin more, finally embrace it and choose it as my career.
During my education, got great chances to play with national and international orchestras as soloist and section member, won awards at the national violin and chamber music competitions. In 2011, completed my studies at the conservatory and got hired to teach there. After one year, got accepted to Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” Berlin, to study with Prof. Stephan Picard and pursued my education there for a year.
While I was studying in Berlin, started to realize that I had done only Western classical music in my life but there was a lot more to discover in music. I was very interested in Jazz at first, so took Jazz Music Theory class there.
In May 2013, I got invited to Turkey, to play at the ’12th Mersin International Music Festival’. My pianist that I met there was coming from Berklee College of Music and told me about what Berklee is all about, what it offers. I was fascinated and finally had found the school I wanted to go. That concert was one of the biggest chances of my life, I would say. It opened another door for me, so I dropped out college in Berlin and came to Berklee in 2015.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
After coming to Berklee, the first thing I realized was how much I had missed, in terms of the colors, diversity and freedom in music. In my first semester, I got in the Middle Eastern ensemble of Simon Shaheen and that made me discover my roots; Turkish classical and folk music. I also started to play Jazz and realized that these two completely different styles had one thing in common, which is improvisation. It was a totally new concept for me and made a big change in my musical approach.
Besides that, I have played Gospel, Pop, Funk, more world music, such as Mexican, Indian, Japanese, Latin, Arabic and many more. All of these genres shaped my musicality over the years.
I also started to sing and compose, which I had never thought that I would do. Being in the Western classical environment had put me in a mindset that was focused on getting perfect at performing as a violinist only. It changed when I came to Berklee and now I’m putting all these elements together. For example; my first ever composition ‘Inspiration’ was for violin and string orchestra, which is a very typical Western setup, but I was inspired by the Turkish folk melodies and used them with some Jazz harmonies.
The goal in my musical journey is establishing my own voice, while combining my past and present. I am wishing that my music reaches and inspires more people from different backgrounds and becomes a way to cherish the variety in music and life.
What would you recommend to an artist new to the city, or to art, in terms of meeting and connecting with other artists and creatives?
I think it depends on the artists whether they want to be alone or not. Me personally believe in collaboration, in order to improve my skills, knowledge and creativity. There are several ways to connect with the others. First of all, I would recommend not to be afraid of approaching the fellow musicians. There are a lot more people than we think, who are looking to broaden their networks. I also find very useful to attend the masterclasses, clinics and music camps. Those places are where everyone comes with the same enthusiasm and commitment to collaborate.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
My work is available on my website; www.bengisugokce.com. I am also featured in many concert videos and studio recordings. Most of them can be found on Berklee College of Music YouTube channel.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bengisugokce.com
- Email: bengisugokce@hotmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bengisugokce1/
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BengisuGokceMusic/
Image Credit:
John Caruso
Kathlynn Sell
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