Autistic Turkish pianist Buğra Çankır, who is considered a musical genius, performed Bach's Piano Concerto No. 5 in F Minor as a soloist with an orchestra for the first time at a concert in the hall of the Presidential Symphony Orchestra (CSO) under the baton of conductor Cemi’i Can Deliorman in Türkiye's capital Ankara, receiving a standing ovation at the end of his performance.
Born autistic, Çankır got the highest score in the absolute pitch test – the ability to recognize the pitch of a note without an external reference – conducted by the University of California in the U.S. at the age of 10.
His ability to distinguish between the frequencies of all sounds in nature was registered by the Wisconsin Medical Society in 2007 and he was labeled a musical genius. Despite his learning disability because of autism, he received a formal music education and won a bronze medal in the International Piano Festival for People with Disabilities.
Describing the gifted artist, CSO chief Cemi'i Can Deliorman said: "Buğra is a very talented musician. He is diagnosed with autism, but despite this, he has a very good ear and he has developed this ear a lot. We think we can reach a lot of people with his music.”
For his part, Erhan Özden, the rector of Ankara Music and Fine Arts University and the artistic director of the concert, said: "Buğra is a very special student, he has an absolute pitch. He has been a piano player since his childhood. He has the potential to be noticed right away. These special children are very important for the development of art education."
Buğra practiced at least seven to eight hours a day in preparation for this concert, Özden added.
