A Turkish pianist has broken the world record for ‘the greatest number of children reached by a project’.

34,558 children took part in Ozan Çoban’s educational classical music project called Müzikli Söyleşiler [Music Interviews].

Mr Çoban’s achievement was verified by the Geniuses Dünya Rekorları DerneğI (Geniuses World Record Association) and he was presented a certificate by GDRD head Namık Ekin at a ceremony on 30 July.

Müzikli Söyleşiler took the form of aninteractive concert that toured schools across Turkey, helping to introduce children to classical music and encourage them to take up playing instruments.

The project was the brainchild of Ozan Çoban, a concert pianist, composer and teacher who included well-known Turkish and Western compositions in his piano recital for children, many hearing live classical music for the first time.

The Istanbul-based musician explained the importance of his project:

“Awareness of quality music is not a luxury, but a necessity. Although music, theatre, books and chess are often perceived as hobbies, they are actually vital activities that contribute to the healthy functioning of our thought processes.”

“The influences we impart on our children’s lives are very important; being a citizen of the world means that as a society we need to think consciously and adopt scientific learning as core principles,” he added.

 

Mr Çoban launched his project in 2017 under the banner of Türkiye TEGV (Educational Volunteers Foundation of Turkey). His nationwide tour was sponsored by Garanti BBVA – one of Turkey’s leading banks.

At the GDRD ceremony, Mr Çoban also thanked his friend and mentor, lawyer Hakan Yazıcı, who has supported the project since its inception four years ago.

In his thank you speech, Mr Çoban said: “We will continue this journey that we set out, to leave a better world for our children.”