Wind Sand and Stars – A Mediterranean Journey is a sound project by Füsun Köksal, winner of the Mario Merz Prize (4th edition). It explores themes of home and migration through works by Mediterranean writers such as Dante Alighieri, Konstantinos Kavafis, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Azra Erhat, and Mahmoud Darwish.

The evening continues with Andraž Golob, clarinetist of the Berliner Philharmoniker, performing Spanish music seen through the eyes of Hungarian composer Béla Kovács, alongside Greek and late-romantic influences by Jörg Widmann.

This is the third event in the Barca Solare 2 – Mediterranean Sounds series, held at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi, the Fondazione Merz, and the Museo Egizio in Turin. The series includes five events focused on contemporary music, offering alternative listening experiences beyond the traditional concert format.

A project by:
OFT eand Fondazione Merz

With the support of:
Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo

 

Füsun Köksal
Recently awarded the Mario Merz Prize (Italy) in music composition of 2022, Köksal holds numerous international awards and fellowships among others Henri Dutilleux Composition Prize (France), ASCAP plus awards(USA), Civitella Ranieri Music Fellowship (Italy-USA), MacDowell Colony Fellowship (USA). Köksal was awarded the Fulbright Academic Research Fellowship and was Visiting Scholar at The University of Chicago (from January 1 to September 30) in 2024.
Köksal’s works have recently been programmed in various contemporary music festivals such as Berliner Festspiele MaerzMusik (Germany), Schleswig Holstein Music Festival (Germany), Warsaw Autumn Festival (Poland), Via Stellae Festival (Spain), Fertile Crescent (USA), Mise-En Music Festival (USA), Timsonia (Romania), KNM Contemporaries (Germany), Acht Brucken Festival(Germany), Forum Neue Musik (Germany), NOW! Festival (Germany), Barca Solare (Italy) among others. The prominent ensembles and performers who have featured her music include Duo Gross/Schouten, Derek Bermel, Agata Igras, Richard Haynes, Horia Dumitrache, Nina Janssen Deinzer, Peyee Chen, Cem Önertürk, Ensemble E-Mex, Penderecki String Quartet, Ensemble Calliopée, Ensemble U, Hezarfen Ensemble, Da Capo Chamber Players, Pacifica Quartet, Eighth Blackbird, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, Vermont Contemporary Music Ensemble, Turin Philharmonic Orchestra, Turkish Youth Symphony Orchestra, and Vertix Sonore.
After serving as Visiting Assistant Professor and lecturer at Middlebury College, University of Pittsburgh, Bilkent University and The University of Chicago, she joined Yaşar University İzmir, where she teaches as Associate Professor. Since 2019 Köksal is the founder and the artistic director of İzmir New Music Days, an international music festival dedicated to contemporary music.

Andraž Golob
Ever since a young age Andraž has been fascinated by orchestral Music. If he were to choose between playing an instrument and speaking as means of communication, he would probably always choose music!
Since 2021 is Andraž the new solo Bass Clarinetist of the Berlin Philharmonic.
Prior to that, between 2019 and 2021, he was the very first clarinetist to be a part of the newly formed Academy of the Vienna Philharmonic.
He played under the baton of Conductors such as: Kiril Petrenko, John Williams, Christian Thielemann, Zubin Mehta, Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Gustavo Dudamel…In world famous concert houses, among them: Wiener Musikverein, Philharmonie Berlin, Carnegie Hall, Boston Symphony Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin.
Recently he has also played as Guest Principal Clarinet in the Berlin Philharmonic under the Baton of Sir Simon Rattle, Gustavo Dudamel and Jakub Hrusa.
Andraz performed as a soloist with the Norddeutschen Philharmonie Rostock at the Mecklenburg-Vorprommen Festival, as well as with Slovenian Radio symphonic Orchestra.
At the time of his Academy position with the Vienna Philharmonic he was pronounced the winner of the “Edmund Horwath” Prize as a representative of the Woodwinds section.
Andraz studied in Graz with Professor Bertram Egger and Gerald Pachinger. He is currently studying chamber music with his Trio Tempestoso at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin, with Professor Martin Spangenberg.

 

 

nali