Uyghur composer wins Turkish award for TV drama music

Read RFA coverage of this story in Uyghur.

An ethnic Uyghur Turkish musician has won this year’s award in the TV drama music category from a Turkish arts foundation.

Güldiyar Tanridagli, 38, widely recognized in Turkey, won the “Best TV Series Music” award from the Film Industry and Artists Strengthening Foundation, or Film-San Foundation, for composing the song "Hopeless Love" for the TV series “Yali Capkini,” or “Golden Boy.”

The series has captivated viewers with its engaging storyline, talented actors and music perfectly adapted to the show.

Tanridagli, who received a master’s degree in orchestral piano from Mozarteum University Salzburg in Austria in 2014, is known for her classical and classical-crossover music.

Kıvanc Terzioglu, general manager of the Film-San Foundation, said the organization chose Güldiyar for the honor because of her music.

As a “very accomplished musician” and “incredible artist,” she deserved the award, he said.

Tanridagli said it was “especially meaningful to hear from people who speak different languages, expressing their appreciation” at the award ceremony at Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall in Istanbul on Sept. 9.

“They said that even though they don’t understand the language, they could grasp the meaning through the music,” she said.

In talking about the reasons for the popularity of her music in TV dramas, Tanridagli said, “For TV music, it’s crucial that the music aligns with the scenario and the scene.” 

“To emphasize the emotions in a particular moment, it’s not enough to have beautiful music alone; it also needs to be fitting and appropriate for that context,” she said.

Artistic background

Tanridagli worked for Kalan Müzik, a Turkish independent record label company based in Istanbul, from 2015 to 2020 — the year she set up her own music company Tanridagli Müzik Yapim and began producing music for Turkish television films.

She also composed music for films and other TV dramas, including “Seni Cok Bekledim” (“Waiting for you”), “Baba” (“Father”), “Sahane Hayatım” (“My Wonderful Life”), “Ya Cok Seversen” (“If You Love”), “Gülcemal,” and “Veda Mektubu” (“Farewell Letter”).  

“Among these, “Yali Capkini” received the most positive reviews globally, with its music gaining millions of plays on YouTube, Spotify and iTunes,” she said.

Tanridagli’s mother, Gülzade Tanridagli, expressed immense pride in her daughter’s achievements, attributing them to years of rigorous music education and dedication. 

Tanridagli’s musical talent was evident at an early age and nurtured by a family with a rich artistic background, she said.

When her parents went to Turkey to study in 1986, Tanridagli stayed with her grandparents in Kumul in Xinjiang. 

There, she received her first music education from her musician grandparents, who introduced her to Uyghur classical music, her mother said.

“Tanridagli’s musical foundation up to the age of five and a half was built on the Uyghur music at our home,” Gülzade Tanridagli said. “My family has always had a deep love for music and art. We had various musical instruments, such as the dutar, tembur and ghijak, all of which my father played. He knew many traditional songs.”

Tanridagli’s father Parhat Kurban Tanridagli, now deceased, also played several musical instruments and performed along with his wife in concerts with Abdurehim Heyt, an influential Uyghur musician and dutar player.

Heyt was detained by Chinese authorities in Xinjiang in 2017, the year that internments of Uyghurs in “re-education” camps began en masse. He previously traveled to Turkey and played Uyghur music at several concerts there. 

When Tanridagli was five and a half years old, she moved to Turkey with her family. She took piano lessons and later pursued music studies at Mimar Sinan Fine Art University in Istanbul and in Austria.

Tanridagli frequently traveled in Europe to play the piano at concerts. After she graduated, she returned to Istanbul and continued performing. 

Kıvanc Terzioglu of the Film-San Foundation predicted that Tanridagli’s career would continue to prosper in the years to come.

“Güldiyar’s music has reached everyone in Turkey and will reach even more,” he said. “She will be more successful.”

Translated by RFA Uyghur. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Joshua Lipes.