Bağlama virtuoso Ahmet Koç has kicked off his project "Köprü ve Ötesi" (Bridge and Beyond) under the auspices of the Presidency of the Turkish Republic and with support from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Yunus Emre Institute.

Koç will give a number of concerts in Europe to play Mozart and Vivalvi's works with his bağlama. In these concerts, Koç will be accompanied by world renowned Turkish conductor Betin Güneş and a 30-member symphony orchestra, and the memorable works of Turkish folk poets and minstrels will be interpreted using the instruments of Western music such as cello, viola, and harp. 

Ahmet Koç will give his first concert in Paris on January 7, in Rome on January 12, and in Vienna on January 14. 

European tour

"Köprü ve Ötesi" concerts that will commence in January 2019 will be organized in some 10 European countries including Germany, France, Austria and Italy. The concert series to be launched under the auspices of the Presidency of the Turkish Republic and with support from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Yunus Emre Institute will introduce our national musical instrument bağlama and tunes to European music lovers.

Ahmet KOÇ

He was born in Istanbul in 1968. He is a bağlama virtuoso and arranger.

He started to attend Turkish Music Conservatory in 1979 and studied Turkish music for 11 years here. At his young age, he accompanied many performers. In 1987, he worked as an arranger for the albums of these performers. In 1993, he became a Culture Ministry artist and in 1994, he released his album "Yediveren Anadolu", followed by "Yol Türküleri," "Paradoks," "Sağanak," and "Sözün Bittiği Yer." In 1997, he accompanied Şebnem Paker, who won the third place in Eurovision Song Contest, the best score so far for Turkey. In addition to his solo career, he formed a band with his fellow musicians called "İstanbul Ses Kayıt" and released the album "Burhan Bayar Şarkıları" in 2016.

Betin GÜNEŞ

He was born in Istanbul on September 12, 1957 and graduated the Piano Department of the State Conservatory at Mimar Sinan University in 1979. In 1980, he won scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and started to attend the Cologne Music School. His first success as a composer came when he was award for his work "Bilimde Her Şey Vardır" at the 15th International Electronic - Acoustic Contest held in Bourges, France, in 1987. He received numerous international awards for his works and compositions.

In addition to the State Symphony Orchestra, he conducted a number of orchestras such as Scottish Chamber Orchestra, WDR Orchestra, and Philharmonie Köln, and his works were played by soloists accompanied by Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, etc