Meet Utar Artun | Composer, Arranger, Pianist, Percussionist and Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Utar Artun and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Utar, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I don’t call music [as] a business. It’s a lifestyle and dedication. I remember watching György Sándor with Bilkent Symphony Orchestra in 2005. He was 92 years old. He played Bela Bartok’s Piano Concerto No.3 one last time. That night was fantastic. I was so impressed. He played this complicated music like a 40-50-year-old virtuoso. A literal effortless mastery. It was my moment of realization; there is no retirement, no 9 to 5 in music. You just live with it, and you die with it until the last moment.

How do you view music as a profession, and what impact can it have on the human mind?

This is a great question. Most people see music as an easy profession. Some of them listen to & watch it as entertainment only. I completely understand that, but the “real music” is quite profound. Believe me, “real music” is complex, especially in the current music industry. It’s so deep that it can transform the human mind to discover different perspectives. Even scientifically, it can develop your brain snaps if you start very early. For example, Rick Beato experimented on his son Dylan before his birth (during pregnancy). Dylan was listening to all of the complicated “deep” music both before birth and during his babyhood. His perfect pitch ability is one of the greatest in the world. He can hear every single chord & note. That is absolutely amazing. In addition, Dylan has a near-photographic memory, allowing him to quickly memorize all his musical notes and keys, visuals, and more. His father, Rick, claims that he could recite the periodic table of elements and complex mathematical calculations with hardly any effort. He also learned the Chinese language in a concise time frame!

Long story short, “real music” is much more than entertainment. Scientifically speaking, If music can do all of this, it can help to develop our brain much faster, and we can build our civilization much more delicately.

How do you manage risk in your life, particularly in pursuing perfection in music?
I always believe that ‘life’ itself is risk management. I always think about the butterfly effect. Whatever I do will have an impact somewhere else. I used to take risks to reach perfection in my music. But then, I realized this; there is no limit to reaching that nirvana. Art is a very different life form. “Perfection” could be described differently from a historical, cultural, and artistic context.

A Funny story about taking risks, When I was a kid, I wondered about the USA. I remember the first time. My uncle was working abroad. He gave me a 20 USD bill for the national holiday as a gift. I was surprised! I told my mom, “This is very different than our money. I’d love to earn this when I grow up.” Then 18 years later, I came to Boston & Berklee and took a risk to start a new life from scratch. No connections, no financial support, no family… The only thing that I had was my music. This was the beginning of my silver age.

What has been the most life-changing decision you have made, and how did it impact your life?
The most important life-changing decision was to marry my wife, Nazan Nihal. She changed my life. Nazan always shows me my missing or broken parts. Marriage is like missing puzzles. You don’t know the shapes and colors, but If you find your soulmate, your puzzle completes itself promptly. We all have missing pieces; we are not perfect.

What is your creative process like, and how did it develop over time?
I think my essential factor is that I can create music expeditiously. It just flows from my mind. It didn’t start this way, though. I wasn’t like this when I was a kid. After writing thousands of charts and playing with various musicians, and hundreds of tours, I started to listen to myself. When I was 10, I worried I would lose my music, composition, and ideas. For example, I would write them down in the middle of the math class to avoid losing them. One day, I was afraid to lose my musical idea and started writing my ideas on a music sheet. The math professor saw me and said, “Utar, this is not a music class; please bring up your math handbook right now!” That day was enlightening for me. I told myself maybe, I shouldn’t be worried; perhaps the music flows all the time.

What was the most challenging decision you have ever made, and how did you go about making it?
As I said before, coming to the US is the most challenging & risky decision that I have ever made. I had no idea. I was dreaming about it. I just had to do it. So many obstacles and hardships were on my way. If you believe it, you do it and go on your way. That was my decision.

How do you balance your work as a musician with your personal life, and do you make music in your free time?
As a musician, work-life balance is not very easy. Especially if you are a performer, educator, composer, and arranger; as I said before, it’s not a Monday to Friday 9 to 5 job. Sometimes, it’s Monday to Sunday, 8 am to 11 pm, almost non-stop. Rarely, it’s Sunday to Tuesday; you have nothing. It depends, but I find myself quite busy in general. That’s why I want to enjoy my free time without music. So basically, I don’t make music in my free time. I also enjoy spending quality time with my wife and family.

Do you have a favorite quote that encapsulates your life’s mission and vision? If so, what is it?
I don’t have a favorite quote, but I have some favorite quotes. They describe my life, mission, and vision:

‘Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans”. -John Lennon

“Whoever is happy will make others happy too.” -Anne Frank.

“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” — Confucius.

“Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.” — Henry van Dyke

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” ― Oscar Wilde.

“Don’t walk in front of me… I may not follow
Don’t walk behind me… I may not lead
Walk beside me… just be my friend”
― Albert Camus

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.

“So many books, so little time.” ― Frank Zappa

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” – Lao Tzu.

“Do, or do not. There is no try!” – Yoda/George Lucas.

“Without music, life would be a mistake.” – F. Nietzche.

“Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” – W. Buffet.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Berklee

Website: www.utarartun.com

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