Çağdaş Özkan, described as “...the most sensitive duo pianist” by Turkey’s leading classical music magazine “Andante”, Çağdaş Özkan has appeared in numerous concerts in USA and in his native Turkey. As a chamber musician and collaborative pianist Mr. Özkan has a significant repertoire and knowledge in instrumental and vocal music. Some of Mr. Özkan’s performance venues include New York City’s Alice Tully Hall and The Juilliard School’s Paul and Morse Halls. As an orchestral pianist, Çağdaş Özkan has appeared as a member of the Juilliard Orchestra in John Adams’ “City Noir” in its New York premiere in Carnegie Hall.

As a demanded collaborative pianist, Çağdaş Özkan worked closely with the faculty of the Juilliard School such as Naoko Tanaka, Stephen Clapp, Ronald Copes and Robert C. White. Mr. Özkan has performed with renowned artist such as Karl-Heinz Schütz, Felix Renggli, Sibel Kumru Pensel, Ellen Jewett, Cihat Aşkın, Önder Baloğlu, Ayako Tanabe, Roby Lakatos, Alexander Hülshoff, Jerfi Aji and Özgür Ünaldı. Özkan has participated in summer festivals such as Aspen Music Festival (2010) and Music Academy of the West (2011), Anadolu Efes Music Festival (2013) and Kapadokya Klasik Keyifler Music Festival (2012, 2013, 2015 and 2017). Çağdaş Özkan was the official pianist for 2013 Marsyas Violin Competition, 2015 Flütistan İstanbul International Flute Meeting and 2017 I. & II. Suna Kan International Violin Competitions (2016 & 2022), AIMA International Music Academy (2022-2022).

A graduate of New York City’s The Juilliard School, Mr. Özkan is a recipient of American Turkish Society’s “Ahmet Ertegün Scholarship”, “Borusan Music Scholarship” and “Mitzi Scholarship”. Çağdaş Özkan holds a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School in Collaborative Piano and Bachelor of Music degree from Bilkent University, Turkey. His principal teachers include Jonathan Feldman, Margo Garrett, Zarema Safarova and Prof. Ersin Onay. Also, he studied French diction and vocal literature with Tom Grubb, German diction with Marienne Barrett and German vocal literature with JJ Penna and Italian diction with Corradina Caporello.

Çağdaş Özkan has founded Duo BalKan with violinist Önder Baloğlu in 2014, and the Duo took part in Duisburger Akzente Festival, Klasik Keyifler Music Festival and Music Akademie Schloss Weikherseim since its foundation. Duo BalKan has collaborated with artist such as Quart.essence, Elif Dimli, Nil Kocamangil and flamenco dancer Bettina Castaño in various masterclasses and concerts in Germany and Turkey.

Mr. Özkan currently teaches at Bursa Uludağ University State Conservatory in Bursa, Turkey. An avid accordion player, Çağdaş Özkan enjoys playing traditional folk music and his own arrangements since the age of four.