Tragic death of rising cellist, 28
mainOne of the most compelling talents in Turkey, the cellist Benyamin Sönmez, has died of a heart attack at the age of 28.
photo: Andante magazine
German born, Benyamin studied with Natalya Gutman and won a coveted place as a BBC Young Artist in 2000. An admirer of Mstislav Rostropovich, he focused on 20th century Russian repertoire and was taking his first steps on the international stage when he died in his sleep, in Ankara, on November 30.
Here‘s a tribute (in Turkish) from his friend, the Andante magazine editor Serhan Bali.
It is always a tragedy when young people die and worse still if they have a great talent.