Cem Güven (b.22.11.1997) is a composer from Türkiye/Istanbul, who graduated from The Juilliard School in New York (Bachelors Degree), currently studies at The Royal Academy of Music in London (Masters Degree) and in 2023 he will be pursuing his doctoral degree (DMA) at Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in New York with fellowship. Cem Güven recently became a composer of Universal Edition of Wien, where his scores are being published and distributed, in addition, he became an artist of Talent Unlimited in London. Güven is an award-winning composer in competitions for orchestral and chamber music worldwide such as Petrichor International Music Competition Grand Prize, Royal Academy of Music Composition Postgraduate Prize, Leverhulme Trust Arts Scholarship, Alblaze Records Award, multiple awards from Academia Musica Vienna and Franz Schubert Conservatorium in Wien (chamber and string orchestra composition categories), Musica Per Archi (2nd prize) and “Orient Occident” (3rd Prize) which are organized by KLK New Music Society. Güven has worked with well-known ensembles such as Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Attacca Quartet, Riot Ensemble, University of Texas Wind Ensemble, Coma Ensemble, Opera Elect, Vice Ensemble, Juilliard Percussion Ensemble, Tbilisi State Opera Chamber Orchestra and soon to work with Sydney Contemporary Orchestra. Güven also participated in music festivals such as Valencia International Performing Academy, Curtis Summerfest and Soundscape.

Güven describes his music as “Earrounding Music“, more specifically “harmonic germinations surrounding the ears”, since his ambition is to create surrounding sonorities with the contrast of high and low pitches/textures expressed with variety of dynamics, as well as to emphasize the tension between tonal and microtonal pitch collections within continuously expansive harmonic progressions, for the listeners to feel like all the partials of their ears are filled with contrasting sonorities and they are able to teleport to an abstract, imaginary atmosphere. These abstract atmospheres are expressed by various sound worlds, which give the feeling of eternity and inescapability, as the emphasized sonorities disappear and reappear with an ambiguous pacing. The tension between tonal and microtonal pitch collections reflect his contemporary perspective of Turkish music, which is a music he is highly influenced by. Güven’s music depends on his own world of imagination, since his goal as a composer is to cut bonds with the reality and to challenge himself to deeply explore the abstract atmospheres that he creates.