Benyamin Sönmez
| Benyamin Sönmez | |
|---|---|
| Born |
January 16, 1983 Bremen, Germany |
| Origin | Ankara, Turkey |
| Died | December 1, 2011 (aged 28) Ankara, Turkey |
| Genres | Classical music |
| Occupation(s) | Cellist |
| Instruments | Cello |
| Notable instruments | |
| 18th-century Matteo Goffriller cello | |
Benyamin Sönmez (January 16, 1983 – November 30, 2011) was a Turkish classical cellist.
Benyamin was born to Turkish parents in Bremen, Germany. His father went in the 1970s to Germany as a tourist taking his musical instrument saz with him. He stayed there, formed a musical group and earned his life playing music at weddings. Later, his mother followed his father in Germany. As Benyamin was three years old, the family with two boys returned home.
Benyamin spent his childhood in Akşehir, a town in Konya Province, where the alleged tomb of Nasreddin Hoca is located. During his primary school years, he contributed to family's budget by selling food and drinks at street.
Benyamin Sönmez grew up in a family that performed music altogether at home. As his father played tambur and his mother sang, his elder brother Mehmet and he accompanied their parents by playing kanun and darbuka. He remembers that his childhood toys were musical instruments like kanun, oud, cümbüş, electronic organ, darbuka, tambur, saz, ney as well as guitar. His father, a talented musician without any musical education, made Benyamin love music and introduced him in playing various musical instruments.
As a child, he accompanied his father at his father's musical performances with his group on stage at weddings. Benyamin envied his father, and imitated him at home after their return. A member of his father's musical group became aware of his elder brother's musical talent and advised to send him to conservatory. His brother Mehmet Sönmez studied playing contrabass at Ankara State Conservatory. After winning an international prize, his brother went to Belgium to play with the Royal Orchestra. He is currently a member of the Turkish Presidential Symphony Orchestra.
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