Historian of music,
composer, diplomat. He was born in Gönyeli / Cyprus on May 28th,
1931. Writer Mustafa Gökçeoğlu was his grandfather’s brother and Dr. Mustafa
Arabacıoğlu, former Minister of Public Health and Welfare, KKTC (TRNC) was the
son of his uncle. He graduated from Gönyeli Primary School (1944), from Lefkoşa
College (1952) and from Department of Consulship and Foreign Trade, İstanbul
Yüksek İktisat ve Ticaret Okulu (T.N. Higher School of Economics and Commerce)
(1958). He worked as a translator in Erzurum
between 1952 and 1953. He worked part-time at a company while he was a student
in Istanbul. He
became an administrator at Williams
Brotjer company after having completed his higher education (1958-59)
Upon his return to Cyprus,
Nicosia in 1959, he taught at Haydarpaşa Ticaret
High School and became a consul in the
Embassy of Cyprus opened in Ankara
(1959-1961) and he worked as a representative and consul as the official of
Cyprus Ministry of Foreign Affaris (1961-70). He became the manager at Tourism
Bureau established in Cyprus
in the 1973-1984 period and a travel agency administrator in 1989. He lectured
in tourism courses at the Eastern
Mediterranean University.
In 1988, he began to concentrate on his works on music and books. He is married
to Seval Yeşilada. They have one daughter, Deniz Avcı and one son, Engin
Yeşilada.
Along with his diplomat and writer identity, he
is also a composer and has many important works. He has fifteen compositions in
five different classes. His first album, containing ten songs was released in
2001 as a CD and MC. In 2007, he released his second album containing seven
songs which he himself performed in order to be presented in the World Congress
held in Antalya
by SKAL International.
After 1962, he spoke in symposiums held by the
Faculty of Political Sciences, Ankara University, Eastern
Mediterranean University,
SAMTAY Foundation and European University of Lefke about the economy and music of Cyprus. He was
awarded with TRNC Ministry of National Education and Culture Folk Music Service
Award (1995), HASDER Science of Folklore, Service Award (1998), Necati Özkan
Foundation Science, Culture and Arts Award, Gazimağusa (T.N. Famagusta)
Municipality, Cypriot Composers Concert, Contribution Award (2001) and Cyprus
Turkish Women Council, Kyrenia Office, Culture and Art Contribution Award
(2001). He is a member of the Advisory Committee, Cyprus Eastern
Mediterranean University
and MESAM, and also the honorary president of Nicosia SKAL Club.
WORKS:
Kıbrıs’ta Turizm (1994), Kıbrıs’ta Geleneksel Türk Müziği (Volume 1:
2001, Volume: 2: 2002), Musiki Tarihimiz (2007), History of Turkish
Music (Translation of Musiki Tarihimiz into English translated by Aslı
Giray, 2008)