Composer Egemen Kesikli spent last summer in his home country of Turkey. He was waiting to return to the United States, where he studied composition at the University of Colorado.
Then Egemen heard about the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. Forty-nine people died at the popular gay club. Egemen, who is gay, felt horrified. After the shooting -- while he was still in Turkey with his family -- he decided to come out to his parents. Then he posted about it on Facebook. He wasn’t prepared for the backlash.
He dealt with the whole experience by writing a string quartet called "Pulse." Hear an exclusive CPR Performance Studio recording of the piece played by the Playground Ensemble String Quartet -- and the story of how Egemen shaped his feelings into music -- in this episode of Centennial Sounds from CPR Classical and Colorado Public Radio.
Explore more music while you wait for the next episode:
- Watch two live versions of "Pulse" by Denver's Playground Ensemble and Boulder's Altius Quartet
- See live performances of "Mandra," another Egemen Kesikli piece, arranged for the St. Olaf Philharmonia and a University of Colorado chamber ensemble
- Learn more about Playground Ensemble's 2017 Colorado Composers Concert, where "Pulse" received the top prize
