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Orhan Osman

Bouzouki player

About Me

Orhan Osman was born in Germany in 1976, and is from Greece with Turkish roots. His first instrument was a self-made piece of wood with 4 nails and 2 pieces of clothes lines. When he was 13, he embraced the bouzouki as his main instrument and quickly became known as a wedding and tavern musician, playing all-night sessions in Western Thrace, before moving to Athens, where he played on the main Rebetiko stages. After he settled in Istanbul in 1996, he often went abroad to continue his concert career, traveling to America and Bulgaria and even explored African music intensively.

In 2000 Orhan took the stage with the legendary Turkish accordionist, Muammer Ketençoğlu, an event that became a milestone in his career, giving birth to his first Project, “Balkan Express” where he utilized the bouzouki for world music,integrating Bulgarian, Romanian, Greek, Indian and Turkish melodies with his polyphonic group.

In 2002, his first recording “Devr-i Alem” culminated in a stage version that featured forty musicians and showcased Turkish and World folkloric stories woven into dramatic audio-visual feasts.

In 2003 Orhan collaborated in stage performances and recordings with the popular German group, Shall Sick Brass Band performing together at the Köln Carnival and at The 6th “Cultures of the World Festival” in Lohmar, Germany and eventually in Babylon- Istanbul.

In 2004, His second albüm, “Gökkuşağı” (“Rainbow”) accompanied by both the Koçani Orchestra and the famous vocalist, Yıldız İbrahimova, was featured on the “Real World” MTV Show, after which Orhan worked on the following soundtrack projects: Asmalı Konak (Abdullah Oğuz) - “Muhabbet”, 2004; Kebap Connection (Fatih Akın) - “Acele” / 2005; Yunda Documentary (Emre Ahmet Seçmen) - “Maziden”, 2007. Later in 2004, Orhan performed at the Stinks Festival in Belgium with the Istanbul Brass Band.

In 2005, Orhan hosted the TRT-2 television music Show,“Dünyanın Türküsü” (“Song of the World”) and continued his work with Devr-i Alem, uniting the world’s diverse cultural heritage on his stage. Following this, he released his 3rd album, “Maziden” attaining widespread arranging and composition recognition. He then released the albüm, “SOS” on the Doublemoon label in collaboration with Jean-Pierre Smadj and Savaş Zurnacı.

In 2007, inspired by the birth of his two daughters, Osman released the CD, “KOLİK” (“Colic”) for newborn babies. The Project began as a research subject by Marmara University Institute of Medical Sciences, who confirmed that the album was 66,7% effective for dealing with colic babies, and was the first album in the world to be used for more than 3 years in their treatment.

In 2008, Orhan signed a contract as host for the new TV8 Show, and has since been working on pre-production for the international Project with his Turkish Jazz label, featuring such well-known names as Horacio Hernandez and Dave Weckl.

In 2009, Orhan released his 5th CD and DVD, “İstanbul Rebetleri” (“Rebets of Istanbul”), featuring a mix made by Dave Weckl and once again returned as presenter and performer on the TRT music channel with his Show, “Nefes” (“Breath”) and ''Seyyare'' (“Planet”.)

In 2010, Bouzouki Orhan released his first maxi single, “Summer Party”, expanding his palette of expression to include electronic underground Works, supported by Hüseyin Karadayı.

In 2011, Orhan is releasing his newest CD with Golden Horn Records, Turkophony, featuring an all-star band of musicians with whom he has performed throughout the years.