Featuring: Piano Recital by Rauf Kasimov and his Students….
By Heidi Trautmann….
I want to thank all nine young pianists and their teacher Rauf Kasimov for this evening – they have made it an unforgettable one for us. Unforgettable for their youth and beauty, their talent and their joy and enthusiasm. The concert hall at the Abbey was full to the last seat with music lovers, families and friends and fans like me. It always astonishes me to see the metamorphosis the young pianists are going through as soon as they sit down at the piano and touch the keys. They become a different being, they become music. I have not missed one of their concerts in the past years and I am happy to have met some of them again on stage. If you are interested read more under the following link to some more reviews, you will learn a lot about the importance of music education but also the importance of choice of the instructor.
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Not all of the students will make it their profession for life, but to have learnt and done something with such passion will change a young person’s attitude towards life and they will do everything else with engagement and love. Rauf Kasimov also invites his students to participate in competitions and music exams and he prepares them for the conservatory. The students he trained in Cyprus have won more than 40 awards in international piano competitions. Today, these students study piano at conservatories and music schools in England, Europe, America and Turkey. This statement speaks for the success of Rauf Kasimov’s educational engagement.
The concert was held in memory of the Earthquake victims and a donation was made to the Champion Angels Association. Very emotional moments for all…
Fikri Toros who has a big heart for the young talents congratulated the young pianists and gave them their awards. It will be an evening for the young pianists to celebrate,
I sincerely hope that many more young talents will go through his musical education, because Life without art and music is empty.
Milada Çınaroğlu: She was born on 29 May 2012 in Nicosia. She is a 6th year student at Necat British College. For Mental Arrhythmate she represented Northern Cyprus in her age category in 2019 and she became the champion of Turkey. She is preparing for the Piano Grade 6 exam at the Royal School of Music. Apart from music, Milada loves sports, dancing and animals. She wants to continue her piano education in the future.
Teoman Eyüboğlu: He was born on April 7, 2005 in Famagusta. He is a 12th grade student at the Anadolu Fine Arts High School and is interested in music from a young age on. Apart from piano, he plays drums and guitar. Teoman Eyüboğlu, who loves animals, especially dogs, wants to study music technology.
İpek Özkan: She was born on June 20, 2008 in 
Çankaya, Ankara and is 8th grade student of Nicosia Turkish Maarif College. Painting, music and piano are among her favourites. Preparing for the Royal School of Music Grade 6th exam, İpek also loves to study science and mathematics. She wants to study medicine and become a doctor.
İsmet Gürmen: She was born on June 18, 2007 in Nicosia. Ismet, who is in the 9th grade of Türk Maarif Koleji, likes to swim and ride a bicycle apart from playing the piano. She is preparing for the Piano Grade 7 exam at the Royal School of Music. Dancing and painting are among the hobbies. İsmet wants to continue her art education in the coming years.
Elif Ecem Özkan: She was born on November 29, 2006 in Ankara and is 11th grade student of the Türk Maarif Koleji. She is preparing for the Piano Grade 7 exam at the Royal School of Music. Elif Ecem, who is also preparing for exams for medical education, loves mathematics and science. Reading books and dancing are among her hobbies.
Burcu Akbatu: she was born on March 8, 2009 in Nicosia. She is attending the 3rd grade of Nicosia Anadolu Fine Arts Secondary School. Burcu, who also studied cello in addition to piano, has singing talent and holds an award in this branch. She is preparing for the Royal School of Music Piano Grade 7 exam. Burcu also plays the cello in the CSO Youth Orchestra. In the coming years, she wants to be a good musician on piano and cello.
Masal Gül: She was born on July 5, 2010 in Adana. In the June 2021 college entrance exam, Cyprus came out on top. She is preparing for the Piano Grade 8 exam at the Royal School of Music. Masal, who wants to be a doctor, is a 7th year student at Near East College. Apart from music, she loves animals, nature and sea activities.
İrem Bilen: She was born on June 22, 2007 in Ankara. İrem, who started her music education at Bilkent Conservatory, is a 9th grade student at Suat Günsel College. She has been continuing his education with Rauf Kasimov for about five years. Irem has won three prizes in international piano competitions and is preparing for the Royal School of Music Grade 8 exam. She wants to continue her piano education at the conservatory; She also loves to sing.
Can Sakkaoğlu: He was born on November 15, 2007 in Istanbul. Playing tennis from an early age on, he has won many awards in tennis. Can, who attends the 11th grade of the English School of Kyernia, has been a student of Rauf Kasimov for six years. Can Sakkaoğlu has eight international piano awards, most of which are First Prizes. Can Sakkaoğlu participated in Gülsin Onay Piano Festival in Bodrum in August 2021 and gave a piano concert at Bellapais Spring Music Festival in April 2022. He passed the Royal School of Music Grade 8 piano exam with a very good grade. In February 2023, he took the talent test of the world-famous music school Musica Mundi in Brussels, Belgium. Can Sakkaoğlu, who has shown outstanding success in this exam, will continue his education at Musica Mundi as of September 2023 with a partial scholarship. Can’s goal is to become a concert pianist in the future.
Rauf Kasimov: He was born on October 28, 1954 in Baku. In 1978, he graduated from Baku State Conservatory with distinction as a concert pianist. He completed his doctorate at the 
same conservatory in 1980. From 1980 to 1991, he worked as a piano teacher at the Baku Conservatory, while at the same time between 1985-1987 he was an assistant to the world-famous piano educator Prof. Dorensky, head of the piano department of the Tchaikosky Conservatory in Moscow. Kasimov won many first prizes in competitions in many cities of Russia, Azerbaijan, Spain and Bulgaria and gave concerts in these countries, also in Turkey and Iraq he worked and gave concerts. He took part in many concerts and events at the International Bellapais Music Festivals organized by the Northern Cyprus Music Association in Cyprus. Finally, at the 18th International Bellapais Spring Music Fest, he performed Bach’s Piano Concerto in D minor as a soloist with the Presidential Symphony Orchestra.
Rauf Kasimov, who has been living as a piano teacher in Northern Cyprus since 2005, invites his students to participate in competitions and music exams and he prepares them for the conservatory. The students he trained in Cyprus have won more than 40 awards in international piano competitions. These students study piano at conservatories and music schools in England, Europe, America and Turkey.
Rauf Kasimov also has his own compositions, numerous recordings and jazz style works on Song Tree, a private music website, and on YouTube.
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