ADRA`FEST
ADRA`FEST

ALEKSANDER MEKAEV

PIANO

       

           Aleksander Mekaev was born in 1960 in the town of Volkhov near St. Petersburg. He began his music education at the age of six in the preparatory class at the Volkhov Children’s School. In 1967, he continued his primary, secondary, and high school music education at the St. Petersburg “N.Rimski-Korsakov” State Conservatory. During these years, he studied piano with V. Demchenko and E. Nuricanyan, and composition with V. Arzumanov and J. Simakin. In 1978, he graduated with dual diplomas in piano and composition. The same year, he enrolled in the undergraduate program at the Moscow “P.I. Tchaikovsky” State Conservatory, where he continued his piano studies with Prof. S. Neuhaus and Prof. E. Malinin.

            He completed his piano undergraduate program in 1983 and began working as a piano teacher at the Ashgabat Conservatory in Turkmenistan the same year. He also worked part-time as a répétiteur at the Turkmen State Opera. In 1986, he entered the Piano Master’s program at the Moscow Conservatory, continuing his piano studies with Prof. E. Malinin and composition with Prof. T. Khrennikov. Simultaneously, he worked part-time as a choir conductor and piano teacher at the Dubna State Music High School.

            In 1988, he completed both the Composition Undergraduate program and the Piano Master’s program at the Moscow Conservatory. Between 1988 and 1990, he worked as a piano instructor at the Moscow State Pedagogical University. From 1990 to 1991, he studied piano under Prof. H. Harry at the Dreilinden Conservatory in Lucerne, Switzerland, and completed the Konzertreife program. He continued working at the Moscow State Pedagogical University from 1991 to 1996.

            In 1996, Mekaev moved to Turkey, where he worked as a répétiteur at the Izmir State Opera and Ballet from 1996 to 1999. During the same period, he taught harmony at the Evren Erdem Private Music High School. Between 1999 and 2005, he served as a lecturer in the Music Department of the Faculty of Education at Bursa Uludağ University and taught piano at the Bursa Philharmonic Society’s Children’s Music School. From 2005 to 2007, he worked as a lecturer at Eastern Mediterranean University (TRNC), where he taught piano and worked as a choir conductor. During this time, he also taught piano at the “Allegro” music school.

            Since 2007, he has been a full-time lecturer at Aydın Adnan Menderes University State Conservatory, teaching piano, harmony, polyphony, and form analysis. He also teaches in the Music Department of the Fine Arts Faculty at ADU.

            Since 1978, Mekaev has given various piano recitals and chamber music concerts in countries including Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Romania, Turkey, and the TRNC. He has performed in numerous concerts alongside renowned European artists and has given solo performances with various symphony orchestras in Russia, Turkey, Switzerland, and Romania.

            His compositions are frequently broadcast on Russian radio and have been recorded on CDs. Between 2013 and 2014, Mekaev composed music for two Turkish theatre plays: “İyi Bir Yurttaş Aranıyor” (written by A. Behramoğlu and H.S. Akdede, directed by H.S. Akdede) and “Anadolu’da Aşkın Kökleri” (an anthology of ancient Sumerian and Turkish poetry, directed by H.S. Akdede).

            Since 2001, Mekaev has been a regular soloist at the Bellapais Spring Music Festival in the TRNC, giving piano recitals. He has performed as a soloist with many orchestras in Turkey and the TRNC, including the Izmir State Opera and Ballet Symphony Orchestra, Samsun State Opera and Ballet Symphony Orchestra, Başkent University String Orchestra, Istanbul MIAM C. Aşkın String Orchestra, Trakya University Symphony Orchestra, Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality Symphony Orchestra, Antalya State Symphony Orchestra, Pamukkale University Academic Chamber Orchestra, and Bursa Regional State Symphony Orchestra.

            Since 2001, he has participated in various conferences and seminars on music education science. Since 2009, he has been involved in the CAKA (C. Aşkın’s Little Friends) education project as a piano accompanist and chamber music instructor. Mekaev is a member of the Russian Choir Society, Russian Theatre Society, Russian Composers’ Union, Russian Music Performers’ Foundation, International Piano Duo, and Bursa Philharmonic Society.