Salih Can Gevrek – piano (Turkey)
Salih Can Gevrek, born in Turkey in 1992, began piano lessons at the age of 5. He was accepted into the prestigious Bilkent University Faculty of Music and Drama Preparatory School in Ankara at the age of 7. He continued his studies at Bilkent University with Gulnara Aziz until 2011 when he was accepted into the Royal College of Music London. Salih is currently studying an Artist Diploma degree with Dmitri Alexeev supported by a Russell Race award.
His achievements in international competitions started from age 10 when he was awarded a prize in the Eskişehir Anadolu University International Young Pianists Competition. His success continued with 2nd Prize in the Lubomir Pipkov International Piano Competition in Bulgaria, laureate in the Moscow State Conservatory International Piano Competition, and 1st Prize in the Kamuran Gündemir Piano Competition. He was also awarded the ‘Selcuk-Kamuran Gundemir’ Special Prize and performance of Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Presidential Symphony Orchestra. He recently won 1st prize in Gümüşlük International Piano Competition.
Salih has participated in masterclasses with renowned pianists including Dmitri Bashkirov, Boris Berezovsky, Leonid Margarius, Edna Golandsky, Özgür Aydın and İdil Biret. As a soloist, he has performed with the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, Ankara Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Presidential Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed solo recitals in international music festivals, such as the Antalya Piano Festival, ‘Three Choirs Festival’ Worcester, Bosch Young Classical Musicians Festival, and the Granada Music Festival in Spain. His solo recital for the Ankara Music Festival 2011 were highly praised, and broadcast on live national radio in Spain and Turkey. Salih is a ‘Talent Unlimited’ artist and has performed in celebrated London venues such as Steinway Hall, Steinway 160th Anniversary ‘Arabesque’ Launch, St Martin-in-the-Fields, St James Piccadilly, Elgar Room of Royal Albert Hall, and Cadogan Hall.
As well as an already established solo pianist, Salih is an avid chamber musician. He frequently plays trios with other students from Royal College of Music. He won the 2012 Royal College of Music Chamber Music Competition. They regularly take part in recitals including Royal Albert Hall’s ‘Classical Coffee Morning Series’, the ‘London Music Chamber Series’, ‘Belle Shenkman Music Programme’ in the National Gallery and have performed in St James Piccadilly and Wigmore Hall. Recently, they were selected for a masterclass with Menaham Pressler in Wigmore Hall and performed Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with the ‘Essex Young People’s Orchestra’.
Recently, he has been accepted into the Queen Elizabeth Music Chapel in Louis Lortie’s piano section as an Artist in Recidence from autumn 2018.
Salih has recently been accepted as a competitor in the Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition, Santander International Piano Competition and Leeds International Piano Competition.