Garo Mafyan

Musician

Birth
24 February, 1951
Horoscope

Composer and musician. He was born on 24th  February, 1951 in Erenköy/Istanbul. He’s from a family of Armenian origin. Both of his parents were as well qualified musicians. Since the age of three and half, Garo Mafyan had piano education, he got on the stage for the first time in 1955 by presenting recital. He completed the harmony department at the conservatory in 1967 and he completed his higher education there in 1968 with outstanding success. In 1969 he formed İstanbul Gelişim Orchestra together with Selçuk Başar, together they were one of the bands who had their marks on the period of reinterpreting (covering) the old songs. That going forward in 1980, he created Gelişim Stüdyosu (T.N. Development Studio). He made his first professional album in the same year with Zerrin Özer and Tanju Okan respectively.

Subsequently; he had an important role at musicals, in Turkey’s leading musical projects for example like; Ajda Pekkan’s “Büyük Kabare Şov (T.N. The Big Cabaret Show) – 1983”, Gülriz Sururi- Engin Cezzar’s “Kabare -1984” in 1982 as the maestro and arranger with Neco at Eurovision auditions, in 1985 as the maestro with Mazhar-Fuat-Özkan (MFÖ), in 1987 as the arranger and maestro with Seyyal Taner. He offered an insight by arranging the songs of Turkish or foreign composers together with remarkable interpreters in the gray years of popular music. While Sezen Aksu and Ajda Pekkan were the leading singers in those years, he made most of his records in the İstanbul Gelişim Studio, collaborating with Selçuk Başar, Uğur Başar, Onno Tunç, Attila Özdemiroğlu and Asım Ekren.

Garo Mafyan, made some pop music composition trails in the 1980’s; nevertheless his major productivity began after the 1990’s. In that phase when the Turkish pop music broke out and young composers started to appear, he undertook an important mission and made an indelible impression with his compositions and arrangements. Even though his works were criticized sorely, his name was in hundreds of works till the end of 1990’s. The MB studio he formed together with Halis Bütünley, opened their doors to young people within that period. But he never disconnected from the people who are the milestones of the Turkish pop music. He made albums at intervals with the giants of pop music like Ajda Pekkan, Barış Manço, İlhan İrem, Zerrin Özer, Nükhet Duru.

Many famous people, who were in the popular music market, entered the music world with him. Some of these names are; MFÖ, Ayşegül Aldinç, Leman Sam, Yonca Evcimik, Nalân, Bendeniz, Niran Ünsal, Reyhan Karaca, Tayfun, Jale, Kerim Tekin, Ozan Orhon, Taner, Burcu Güneş, Bora Gencer, Nadide Sultan and Aydın. He put his signature under massively popular albums or single albums,  as well as performing works with Erol Evgin, Emel Sayın, Yüksel Uzel and Nükhet Duru in Turkish Art Music, and with Gülden Karaböcek in the music genre of extravaganza.

Garo Mafyan re-established the İstanbul Gelişim Orchestra with Attila Özdemiroğlu since the 2000s and started to lead young musicians with the school opened in 2005 under the name Bahçeşehir İstanbul Gelişim, emphasizing on his teaching side. Garo Mafyan had his signature under about thirty compositions: including the music of television series like; “Samanyolu” (1989), “Duygu Çemberi” (1990), “Hicran Yarası” (2009) as well as the soundtracks of the cinema film ; “Dünyayı Kurtaran Adamın Oğlu” (2006). As of year 1981, he has contributed about twenty five works prepared for the Eurovision Song Contests. He spent effort as a composer, arranger, maestro or studio owner so as to release about 150 records between 1975 and 2011. On the other hand, he also prepared and presented TV programs oriented for street kids. He also composed about ten poems of the Islamic scholar and poet Fethullah Gülen.

SOME OF HIS COMPOSITIONS: Zerrin Özer – İki Sevgi Bir Kalpte (1981), Neco – Hayaller ve Rüyalar (1981), Sezen Aksu – Unut (1986), Yonca Evcimik – Abone (1991), Zerrin Özer – Olamazdım Senle (1991), Ozan Orhon – Saman Alevi (1992), Nükhet Duru – Aldırma (1992), Bendeniz – Ya Sen Ya Hiç (1993), Tayfun – Hadi Yine İyisin (1993), Jale – Üzgünüm (1993), Ozan Orhon – Cemile (1993), Pınar Aylin – Of Çeksem (1997), Nadide Sultan – Vuslata Beş Kala (1997), Aydın – Kuşum (1998), Burcu Güneş – Sen de Vur (1998), Taner – Affetmedim Kendimi (1998).

 SOUNDTRACKS: Samanyolu – TV series (1989), Duygu Çemberi – TV series (1990), Dünyayı Kurtaran Adamın Oğlu – Movie (2006), Hicran Yarası – TV series (2009). 

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