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Mehmet Bitmez was born in Şanlıurfa. Influenced by the musical atmosphere
provided in his family by his grand father, Mahmut Bitmez, zither player,
pianist and singer, his father, Yahya Bitmez,who was also a singer and
oudist and his uncle,Bekir Bitmez, singer and composer, he enters the field
of musical education.
During his conservatory education he took lessons on the oud by
prof.
Mutlu Torun and on the theory of the Turkish Classical Music by the ney
player Akagündüz Kutbay, Bekir Sıtkı Sezgin and the oudist Cinuçen
Tanrıkorur.
He graduated from the Turkish Classical Music State Conservatory of
Istanbul Technical University in 1980.
A year later he became an assistant and since then he has been continuing
his teaching career at the same University. For many years now he is
supervising the lute teaching branch.
In 1990 he completed his master's degree in the Social Sciences Department
doing research on the special techniques used by the famous tanbur player
Cemil Bey.
He has also studied the styles and technical characteristics of virtuoso
Şerif Muhittin Targan and the great master oudists Nevres Bey,Yorgo Batzanos
and Cinuçen Tanrıkorur. Following this comperative study he developed his
own style, which is based on traditional and classical features.
He has given many recitals as a representative of Turkish Classical Music in
many European countries, in USA, in South America and in the Middle East. He
contributed with his ideas and his oud performances to the sountrack of the
film ''İstanbul Under my Wings'', whose music was later released in a CD
that bears the same name.
He has collaborated in concerts and cds with many distinguished musicians
like the virtuoso kemençe player İhsan Özgen, the Buch Morres Jazz Group,
the ney player Kudsi Erguner, the violinists Cihad Aşkın and Shalomo Mints,
the quitar player Erkan Oğur.
Mehmet Bitmez has participated in many festivals such as the International
İstanbul Festival, the Montreoux Jazz Festival, the Festival de Musique
Sacree, the International Izmir Festival
Under the conduction of Prof.Edvin Seroussi he gave two recitals, a
conference, and a one-week Seminars on Turkish music Theory and oud invited
by the Hebrew University and Prof. Edwin Seroussi himself in a performance
called ''Mediterranean Musical Dialogue No 5”.
Besides oud Mehmet Bitmez, plays the lavta and the Tanbur. |
