Biography

Arcan Kündük was born in 1987 in the coastal city of İzmir in Turkey. His engagement with music began early. At the age of 5 he was singing in the Radio Children Choir and at 11, he was accepted to the Dokuz Eylul University İzmir Conservatory.

In 2000, he began taking piano lessons from İlknur Ünal. He showed rapid development and after one year he was accepted into Işılay Saygın Anatolian Fine Arts High School.

He discovered his passion and talent for composing during these years and started taking composition lessons from Cem İdiz.

In 2005, he began his education at the Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory in the Composition and Conducting Department.

He studied composition with Turgay Erdener, Serdar Mukhatov, and Mehmet Can Özer, while honing his piano technique and expanding his repertoire with Yasemin Marlalı. He received conducting classes from Burak Tüzün and Çiğdem Aytepe.

He participated in masterclasses of influential musicians from all over the world such as Ladislav Kubik, Stephen Gryc, Robert Carl, Nigel Clark, İbrahim Yazıcı, and Pierre Boulez.

In 2012, he completed his bachelor's as an honor student and he was invited to work in the same conservatory as a guest lecturer immediately, which he did for two years until he was accepted to Hochschule für Musik und Theater München for his master's in 2014. He studied there with Hans Jürgen von Bose and Isabel Mundry.

Over the years, he has participated in numerous contemporary music events and his music has been played in many countries. He incorporates various elements of contemporary, classical, and ethnic music in his works in a highly personalised synthesis with a unique flavour. He has composed solo, chamber, and orchestral pieces as well as music for theatre and films.

In 2017, his piano trio "Gift of Eris" is recorded by Trio Siciliano.

In 2018, his piece for solo Flute “Old Love Story, Pan” won the Call for Scores from Diaphonia Editizoni and was published. It was composed after a poem by Allan Ginsberg, met with great enthusiasm, and described by critics as “a piece worthy of a solid place in the music literature”.

Teaching has been another important and constant part of his life. He gathered a considerable amount of experience by working in different music schools, giving private lessons, and working at the Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory.

In his lessons, he uses his accumulated knowledge as a composer about music literature, theory, history, and style to stimulate a wholesome and deep understanding of music; and he emphasizes the importance of forming sincere bonds with students to make the learning process both comfortable and enjoyable.

He is a member of Tonkünstler München and he currently works with Klavierstunde München and adpianum, as well as giving private lessons, playing in concerts, and composing. He teaches in German, English, and Turkish.