New York, NY (Top40 Charts) David Ezra Okonsar (formerly: Mehmet Okonşar), pianist, composer, conductor and musicologist is the First Prize Winner at the International Young Virtuosos Competition, Antwerp, Belgium, 1982 and laureate of other prestigious international piano competitions such as the Gina Bachauer, Sixth Prize, Salt Lake City-UT, 1991 and J. S. Bach, Second Prize, Paris, France 1989.
He is graduated from the Brussels Royal Conservatory of
Music on piano, composition and orchestration. He studied with Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden and
Madame Jacqueline Fontyn.
He has been a pupil of Alexis Weissenberg.
Mr. Okonsar performed in major concert halls in Europe, North
America and Japan, in both solo and orchestral appearances.
He was special guest judge for the
National Piano Competition of Japan (1999) P.T.N.A. (To-On).
His researches in music related technologies were broadcast in a series of documentaries presented by the artist on the
National Broadcast of Turkey (TRT).
Mr. Okonsar is a prolific composer of orchestral, chamber, choral and piano music. His composing line is highly avant-garde and complex.
Also a musicologist, writer and lecturer, Mr. Okonsar's writings are published in English and French and he is lecturing on music, composing and related technology.
His recital programs are usually highly eclectic and often thematic mixing works by A. Webern, A. Berg, I. Stravinsky, K. Stockhausen, P. Boulez and L. Berio with the more traditional piano repertoire.
Mr. Okonsar changed his first name from Mehmet to
David Ezra.