Kamran Ince
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Kamran N. Ince (spelled İnce in Turkish, born May 6, 1960) is a Turkish-American composer. He is the winner of many prestigious awards, including a
Rome Prize The Rome Prize is awarded by the American Academy in Rome, in Rome, Italy. Approximately thirty scholars and artists are selected each year to receive a study fellowship at the academy. Recipients must be American citizens. Prizes have been aw ...
, a
Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...
, the
Lili Boulanger Marie-Juliette Boulanger (; 21 August 189315 March 1918), professionally known as Lili Boulanger (), was a French composer and musician who was the first female winner of the Grand Prix de Rome composition prize. Her older sister was the noted ...
Memorial Prize, and various others. His work has been performed by the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891, the ensemble has been based in the Symphony Center since 1904 and plays a summer season at the Ravinia F ...
, the
BBC Symphony Orchestra The BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBC SO) is a British orchestra based in London. Founded in 1930, it was the first permanent salaried orchestra in London, and is the only one of the city's five major symphony orchestras not to be self-governing. The ...
, the
Prague Symphony Orchestra The Prague Symphony Orchestra ( ''FOK'') is a Czech orchestra based in Prague. The orchestra has traditionally been known by the acronym 'FOK', standing for 'Film-Opera-Koncert', reflecting the orchestra's fields of activity as envisioned by its fo ...
, the Los Angeles Piano Quartet, the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra, the Netherlands Wind Ensemble, the Milwaukee Opera Theatre, the Arkas Trio,
Evelyn Glennie Dame Evelyn Elizabeth Ann Glennie, (born 19 July 1965) is a Scottish percussionist. She was selected as one of the two laureates for the Polar Music Prize of 2015. Early life Glennie was born in Methlick, Aberdeenshire, in Scotland. The i ...
, Lily Afshar, and others, and his recordings can be found on
Naxos Naxos (; , ) is a Greek island belonging to the Cyclades island group. It is the largest island in the group. It was an important centre during the Bronze Age Cycladic Culture and in the Ancient Greek Archaic Period. The island is famous as ...
,
EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...
, Albany, and Archer Records. He is known today as one of the leading composers of contemporary music. Born in Glendive,
Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...
and raised in
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
, Ince began his studies at age 10 studying cello, piano, and composition at the
Ankara State Conservatory The Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory (), the first conservatory to be founded in the Republic of Turkey, was established in 1936 by a directive of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. The conservatory is part of Hacettepe University. History ...
. Ince later moved to the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
to study at
Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...
and
Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. Established in 1921 by celebrated industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman, it was the ...
. His music is exclusively published by
Schott Music Schott Music () is one of the oldest German music publishers. It is also one of the largest music publishing houses in Europe, and is the second-oldest music publisher after Breitkopf & Härtel. The company headquarters of Schott Music were foun ...
. In addition to the music he has composed, he has received commissions from the
Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a $25,000 (about $550,000 in 2023) gift from Edsel Ford. ...
, the Irish Arts Council, the Fromm Foundation, the Koussevitzky Foundation, the
Jerome Foundation James Jerome Hill II (March 2, 1905 – November 21, 1972) was an American filmmaker and artist known for his award-winning documentary and experimental films, one of which won him an Academy Award. Career Hill was the child of railroad executiv ...
, Reader’s Digest,
Mavi Jeans Mavi is a Turkish brand of denim and jeans founded in 1991 in Istanbul, Turkey. The company manufactures jeans for both women and men, targeting a younger age group. The global operation is headquartered in Turkey, with subsidiaries in the USA, Ca ...
, and the Pew Charitable Trust. Ince frequently travels to do exhibitions of his music, including at
Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres. Rice University comp ...
's Shepherd School of Music, the
Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival The Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival (SHMF) is a classical music festival held each summer throughout the state of Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany. History The festival was founded in 1986 by German concert pianist and conductor Justus Fr ...
, and the
Istanbul International Music Festival The Istanbul International Music Festival, formerly Istanbul Festival, () is a cultural event held every June and July in Istanbul, Turkey. It offers a selection of European classical music, ballet, opera and traditional music performances with the ...
. Ince is one of the most critically acclaimed living composers in the world today. He is currently based in
Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...
. He is on the faculty of
University of Memphis The University of Memphis (Memphis) is a public university, public research university in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 20,000 students. The university maintains the Herff Col ...
and
Istanbul Technical University Istanbul Technical University, also known as Technical University of Istanbul (, commonly referred to as İTÜ), is an public university, public technical university located in Istanbul, Turkey. It is the world's third-oldest technical university ...
.


Life

Ince was born in Glendive,
Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...
, United States and at the age of six moved with his family to
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
. He entered the
Ankara State Conservatory The Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory (), the first conservatory to be founded in the Republic of Turkey, was established in 1936 by a directive of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. The conservatory is part of Hacettepe University. History ...
at the age of ten, in 1971, where he began studying cello and piano, and took composition lessons with
İlhan Baran İlhan Baran (1934, Artvin – 27 November 2016) was a Turkish composer. Baran studied double bass and was a Musical composition, composition student of Ahmed Adnan Saygun at Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory, Ankara State Conservato ...
. In 1977 Ince entered the
İzmir University İzmir University () was a university in the Üçkuyular neighborhood of Karabağlar, a metropolitan district of İzmir, Turkey. It was established in 2007 by the Doğanata Education and Culture Foundation, which opened in 2008. On 23 July 2016 ...
where he studied composition with
Muammer Sun Muammer Sun (15 October 1932 – 16 January 2021) was a Turkish composer of classical music. Biography Sun was born in Ankara. He entered the Military Band School in 1947 and the Ankara State Conservatory in 1953. He studied under Ahmet Adnan ...
,Chute, James. 2001. "Ince, Kamran". ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', second edition, edited by
Stanley Sadie Stanley John Sadie (; 30 October 1930 – 21 March 2005) was a British musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the '' Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1980), which was published as the first edition ...
and John Tyrrell. London: Macmillan Publishers.
but returned to the United States in 1978. He enrolled at the
Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...
in
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
in 1980, earning a Bachelor of Music degree in 1982, and went on to complete his master’s and doctoral degrees from the
Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. Established in 1921 by celebrated industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman, it was the ...
in 1984 and 1987. His teachers there included David Burge (piano),
Joseph Schwantner Joseph Clyde Schwantner (born March 22, 1943) is an American composer, educator and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters since 2002. He was awarded the 1970 Charles Ives Prize. Schwantner is prolific, with many works to his cred ...
, Christopher Rouse, Samuel Adler and
Barbara Kolb Barbara Kolb (February 10, 1938 – October 21, 2024) was an American composer and educator, the first woman to win the Rome Prize in musical composition. Her music features sound masses of colorful textures, impressionistic sounds and atonal vo ...
(composition). Ince won a
Rome Prize The Rome Prize is awarded by the American Academy in Rome, in Rome, Italy. Approximately thirty scholars and artists are selected each year to receive a study fellowship at the academy. Recipients must be American citizens. Prizes have been aw ...
and a
Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...
in 1987, and the
Lili Boulanger Marie-Juliette Boulanger (; 21 August 189315 March 1918), professionally known as Lili Boulanger (), was a French composer and musician who was the first female winner of the Grand Prix de Rome composition prize. Her older sister was the noted ...
Memorial Prize in 1988. In 1990, he moved to
Ann Arbor Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...
,
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
to become a visiting professor at the
University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
, and in 1992 joined the faculty of the
University of Memphis The University of Memphis (Memphis) is a public university, public research university in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 20,000 students. The university maintains the Herff Col ...
, where he teaches composition, co-directs the University of Memphis Imagine New Music Festival. In addition, Kamran İnce was one of the founders of the Center for Advanced Studies in Music at the
Istanbul Technical University Istanbul Technical University, also known as Technical University of Istanbul (, commonly referred to as İTÜ), is an public university, public technical university located in Istanbul, Turkey. It is the world's third-oldest technical university ...
, whose academic staff he has been in since 1999.


His music

Journalist Blair Dedrick described İnce’s music as
characterized . . . by its ability to pinpoint the sonorous strains present in the jagged dissonance of elements such as a smooth cello yearning suddenly broken by an incongruent spatter of drum beats.
His music has been described as post-minimalist, that is, it makes use of near repetition, tonal language, but avoiding traditional tonal functionality, and influence of
world music "World music" is an English phrase for styles of music from non-English speaking countries, including quasi-traditional, Cross-cultural communication, intercultural, and traditional music. World music's broad nature and elasticity as a musical ...
. Indeed, his ''Concerto for Orchestra, Turkish Instruments and Voices'' uses an actual Turkish ensemble mixed with Western instruments. His musical palette tends toward large-scale works, mainly for orchestra or ensemble; he has also composed several smaller works for either solo instrument (''In Memoriam: 8/17/99'' for piano) or solo instrument and piano (''Lines'' for clarinet and piano). Although several of his works display this sudden movement between slow chord movements and the nattering of percussion and / or instruments, such as ''Flight Box'' (2001) or ''Hammer Music'' (1990), other pieces use a more consistent texture, such as the energetic ''F E S T for New Music Ensemble and Orchestra'' (1998) or the subdued ''Curve'' (1998).


Reception

His work has been performed by orchestras across the world to wide critical acclaim. A critic for the ''Los Angeles Times'' called him
that rare composer, able to sound connected with modern music and yet still seem exotic, Kamran Ince is a force on the cutting edge of contemporary composition, bridging the East and the West.
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
hailed Ince as having
a confident, individual, arresting voice
and
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
remarked Ince had
extraordinary vision and musical sophistication.


Awards

*1987
Rome Prize The Rome Prize is awarded by the American Academy in Rome, in Rome, Italy. Approximately thirty scholars and artists are selected each year to receive a study fellowship at the academy. Recipients must be American citizens. Prizes have been aw ...
*1987
Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...
*1988 Lili Boulanger Prize


List of works


Orchestra

*''Academica'' (1998) *''Before Infrared'' (1986) *''Cascade'' (1993) *Concerto for Orchestra, Turkish Instruments ( ney, kemence, 2
zurna The zurna is a double reed wind instrument played in Central Asia, West Asia, the Caucasus, Southeast Europe and parts of North Africa. It is also used in Sri Lanka. It is usually accompanied by a davul (bass drum) in Armenian, Anatolian and Ass ...
s) and Voices (2002) *Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1984) *''Deep Flight'' (1988) *''Domes'' (1993) *''Ebullient Shadows'' (1987) *''F E S T for New Music Ensemble and Orchestra'' (1998) *''Hot, Red, Cold, Vibrant'' (1992) *''Infrared Only'' (1985) *''Lipstick'' (1991) *''Plexus'' (1993) *''Remembering Lycia'' (1996) *Symphony No. 1 ''Castles in the Air'' (1989) *Symphony No. 2 ''Fall of Constantinople'' (1994) *Symphony No. 3 ''Siege of Vienna'' (1995) *Symphony No. 4 ''Sardis'' (2000) *Symphony No. 5 ''Galatasaray'' (2005) *''Viper's Dance'' derived from Symphony No. 1, 1989 revised in 1993


Large ensemble

*''Aphrodisiac'' (1997) *''Arches'' (1994) *''Evil Eye Deflector'' (1996) *''Flight Box'' (2001) *''Hammer Music'' (1990) *''In White'', Violin Concerto (1999) *''Istathenople'' (2003) *''Love under Siege''(1997) *''Night Passage'' (1992) *''One Last Dance'' (1991) *''Requiem Without Words'' (2004) *''Sonnet #395'' (1991) *''Split'' (1998) *''Strange Stone'' (2004) *''Turquoise'' (1996) *''Turquoise/Strange Stone'' (2005) *''Waves of Talya'' (1989)


Small ensemble (chamber music)

*''Curve'' (1996) *''Drawings'' (2001) *''Fantasie of a Sudden Turtle'' (1990) *''Kaç'' ("Escape") (1983) *''Köcekce'' (1984) (After a Black Sea folk dance) *''Lines'' (1997) *''Matinees'' (1989) *''MKG Variations'' for cello solo (1998); also version for guitar *''Tracing'' (1994) *''Road to Memphis'' for viola and harpsichord (2008)


Piano

*''The Blue Journey'' (1982) *''Cross Scintillations'' (1986) *''In Memoriam: 8/17/99'' (1999) *''Gates'' (2002) *''Kevin's Dream'' (1994) *''My Friend Mozart'' (1987) *''Sheherazade Alive'' (2003) *''An Unavoidable Obsession'' (1988) *''Symphony in Blue'' (2012)


References


External links


Kamranince.comSchott-music.comEamdc.com
October 13, 1989 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ince, Kamran 1960 births American male composers 21st-century American composers American people of Turkish descent Ankara State Conservatory alumni Living people Oberlin College alumni People from Glendive, Montana Pupils of Samuel Adler (composer) University of Memphis faculty 21st-century American male musicians Pupils of Joseph Schwantner