Personal notes (Back to home page)      

I was born and raised in Istanbul which recently has been chosen as the European Capital of Culture. Before joining the University of Ottawa as an assistant professor, I was an assistant professor at Clarkson University. The first time I landed in Ottawa was in 2007, and I was working towards my PhD. Between 2009-2014, I also worked at the University of Ottawa as a postdoctoral researcher. I've always been passionate about discovering numerous beauties of Canada every other day.

I like travelling and discovering new places. I used to play the guitar but I have not touched the strings for years so I suppose, I am a bit rusty on it. I took a couple of violin courses but my dream of being a modern Paganini was defeated by the leverage of science and engineering. I used to write short stories for literature magazines when I was in my early twenties. I received two best short story awards in two contests which were sponsored by an established publisher. Those stories have never been cited nor have they been read by more than a few people so a lane change was inevitable, and I took my chance in writing research papers.

I've been dancing Argentine Tango since 2008 (though I know I'm not a skilled tanguero at all). I've always been proud of having been trained by the magnificent instructors of Tangoist, and I've been missing the taste of their pleasant sessions sooooo much. I do love the milongas and traditional tangos composed by Francisco Canaro however thinking of the compositions by Gotan Project, Tanghetto and Otros Aires; Tango Nuevo is my favorite. I also dance swing but yet I have not gone beyond Lindy Hop and Charleston.

I am a big fan of baroque composers, especially Johann Sebastian Bach, Domenico Scarlatti and George Frideric Handel. Besides, I love the magnificent symphonies of the modern Russian composer Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich. I also like all forms of Jazz such as Wayne Shorter's fusion, Herbie Hancock's funk and Keith Jarrett's jazz and classic performances. On the other hand, I can easily say that Miles Davis and John Coltrane are always at the top of my list. Last but not least, I've always felt delighted to have had the opportunity of listening to the live performance of the magnificent pianist and composer, Fazil Say a couple of times....

Burak Kantarci

-------------------------------------------------------O---------------------------------------------------