‘Yunus to Mevlana Rumi’ – a flute recital by Şefika Kutluer in London this Friday

  One of Turkey’s most renowned classical musicians will be performing a special concert in London this weekend. Şefika Kutluer, an award-winning flautist, will be drawing on musical compositions from the East and the West for her Friday night recital at St. James's Church Piccadilly. Accompanied by David Wright on harpsichord, Kutluer presents a programme that includes compositions by two great Turkish poets and scholars, Yunus Emre and Mevlana Rumi, peppered with pieces by some of Europe’s leading composers, including J. S. Bach and Claude Debussy. Kutluer is described by the American Record Guide as “one of the chosen ones” with a “divine gift” to play music. A review in the New York Times similarly gushed about her magical flute-playing abilities, calling Kutluer “a master technician” who “imparted a shimmering brilliance to the music.”  The event is sponsored by the Yunus Emre Institute London and admission is free. However, guests must register online in advance – see below for the link.

Programme for St. James's Church Piccadilly

Ekrem Zeki Un (Turkish) At the Tomb of Yunus Tanburi Cemil Bey/Dede Efendi/ Kutluer Mevlana Dede Efendi Gülnihal C.Debussy Syrinx J.S.Bach Sonata in E Flat, BWV 1031 Allegro Moderato – Siciliano - Allegro J.S.Bach Menuet & Badinerie

About Şefika Kutluer

Renowned Turkish flautist Şefika_Kutluer. Photo © Bahar, CC licence / Wikipedia

She studied at Ankara State Conservatory and graduated with honours in 1979. She started her soloist career in Vienna and Rome, before returning to the Ankara Conservatory, where she taught for several years. She won the 3^rd prize and then the 1^st prize the following year at the International Flute Contest in Vienna. In 2000, she received the Inter-Lyra prize from the Hungarian Foundation for Performing Arts. After winning several international competitions and embarking on a bigger international career as a soloist, she was awarded the Presidential Medal in Turkey in 1985 – the highest honour the country bestows on an individual – and in 1998 she became a State Artist. She performs as a flute soloist of the İzmir State Symphony Orchestra and is a permanent soloist with the European Union Chamber Orchestra. She has been decorated with Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella della Solidarieta’ Italiana (State Medal) by the President of Italy, the Austrian Gold Medal of Merit by the President of Austria, and the Cultural Medal of the Republic of Kazakhstan. She is a Unicef Goodwill Ambassador and has received the Skalite Award from Skal International for her contributions to Ankara’s cultural life.

Concert details

Title: From East to West, Yunus to Mevlana flute recital by Şefika Kutluer Date: Friday 3^rd February 2017 Starts: 7.30pm Venue address:  St. James's Church Piccadilly, 197 Piccadilly, St. James's, London W1J 9LL Admission: Free, but pre-registration required Registration/tickets: eventbrite.co.uk/flute-recital-sefika-kutluer-tickets More about artist: sefikakutluer.com