Omar Faruk Tekbilek, one of the most internationally renowned Turkish musicians, returns to Spain with a concert on 21 September in Cadiz in which he will perform the great classic themes of his long career in the world of music, delighting the audience with his virtuosity on instruments such as the ney, the zurna or the bağlama.
Born in 1951 in Adana (southern Turkey), Tekbilek showed an incredible natural talent for music even as a child. During his youth, he also became deeply interested in Sufism, a mystical branch of Islam with a long tradition in Turkey, beginning his religious studies to become a dervish monk until, at the age of 15, he decided to devote himself entirely to music. However, this dual spiritual and musical facet of his life has accompanied him throughout his artistic career and is deeply felt in his compositions, which are charged with mysticism. It is not for nothing that Omar Faruk has always said that ‘for me, playing is like praying’.
Winner of the prestigious Kral TV Annual Music Awards (considered the ‘Grammy’ of music in Turkey) in 2012, Omar Faruk is regarded worldwide as a virtuoso of the ney, an ancient oriental flute. Although he now lives in the United States, Tekbilek often speaks of his ‘longing’ for his homeland in his compositions, in which he mixes modern rhythms with the millennial musical traditions of Turkey and the Middle East.
Tickets for Omar Faruk Tekbilek’s concert in Cádiz, which will take place on Saturday 21 September at 20:00 in the Gran Teatro Falla venue, have been on sale since the end of August at prices ranging from 6 to 40 euros. More information available on the website omarfaruktekbilek.com
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As a history lover, Pablo Gómez was captivated by Turkey from the first day he visited it in 2006: he got married there, has a house there… and has since become an expert on Turkey’s current affairs. With a long experience in media, he has been at the helm of hispanatolia.com since 2011.
