Biography

Orkay Pazarcı (b. 2003) is an Istanbul-based composer.

His music forms a transcultural dialogue through a distinct sonic vocabulary grounded in physical gestures and timbral textures. His approach relies on a dramaturgical sensibility, where sound and silence function as characters navigating a staged narrative arc. Drawing from mythology, auditory traces, archives, and natural phenomena, his works unfold these elements into fluid patterns, granulating atmospheric tension through structural fractures.

His works have been performed by ensembles including Ensemble Musikfabrik, Ensemble Airborne Extended, Schallfeld Ensemble, Diskant Ensemble, and Hoppa Project Quartet. His music has been featured at venues such as WUK Vienna, Arter Museum, Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall (CRR), and Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM), and presented within the framework of events like the PRISM#17 Concert Series and the 14th, 15th, and 16th Journey of Sound - Young Composers Festivals. Furthermore, his compositions have been selected through calls for scores for platforms such as the Klasik Keyifler "Composers Cauldron" (1982) and the Bilgi New Music Festival 15 (Tiangou).

After studying clarinet with Elçin Çınar Selamet at Aşık Veysel Fine Arts High School, he continues his composition studies at Istanbul Topkapı University under the guidance of Uğurcan Öztekin and Emre Dündar. He has enriched his musical perspective through masterclasses with composers such as Pierluigi Billone, Stefano Gervasoni, Enis Gümüş, and Mehmet Ali Uzunselvi.