Tahir Aydoğdu - Hasret (Longing)

Tahir Aydoğdu Was born in Istanbul in 1959 and in 1983 he graduated from the Physİcs Department of the Middle East Technical University (O.D.T.Ü). During this period he was involved with the Hacettepe University Music Society, the Ankara Turkish Music Society, the Ministry of Youth and Sports music program and the O.D.T.Ü. Turkish Music Chorus. He recieved his fırst musical training from his father, Gültekin Aydoğdu.

He joined the staff of the Ankara State Radio as a kanun player in 1981. He worked with the Modern Folk Üçlüsü tor eight years and toured such countries as lîaly. Çatar, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Mayasia, Singpore, Russia, Siberia, the People*s Republic of China and the U.S.A. He was a memeber of the Ankara based group Asia Minor and is featured on the group's 1991 release. "Kedi Rüyası" Tahir has also worked with master oud player and Turkish music composer Cinuçen Tanrıkorur on a CD based on the writings of the famous Turkish poet Yahya Kemal. His kanun playing can also be heard on Yıldız İbrahimova's "Balkantolia" CD. In November 1997 he perfromed Hasan Ferit Alnar "Kanun Concerto" with the Cemal Reşit Rey Orchestra. He became the first musician to perform this work besides the composer himself.

In addition to his activities as a performer. Tahir has presented papers on Turkish music and the kanun at numerous international conferences. He became head of the Turkish Classical Music Division of the Ankara State Radio in 1997. He teaches occalsionally at the Musİc Department of Gazi University in Ankara. He is at present on the teaching staffat the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music at O.D.T.Ü and has continued to lead th O.D.T.Ü. Classical Music Chorus tor the past 12 years. HİS wife Hülya Aydoğdu, is a singer with the Ministrty of Culture State Turkish Music Chorus in Ankara.