Fuat Caner Tokgozol, Music Director

Fuat Caner Tokgozol is the music director of Turkish & International Music Ensemble (TIME). He is a Turkish musician, composer and producer based in New York City. Tokgozol’s music blends traditional Turkish music with sounds and influences from diverse musical genres and backgrounds. He explores the use of music to bring together communities and bridge cultural boundaries.

Tokgozol started his music studies at the age of six with oud, a fretless stringed instrument prominent in classical Turkish music. He studied theory and repertoire at the Samsun State Conservatory in Turkey.  While he was studying English Language and Literature at Ankara University, he performed as a piano accompanist and oud player with the Turkish Radio and Television Network for five years. In 2007, he moved to New York City.

As a producer, Tokgozol partners with a diverse group of musicians across many genres including avant-garde (Sessions with Freud, album), ethnic jazz  (A night in Tunisia with Tom McCarey, album), middle eastern (Oye Como Va with Husnu Senlendirici, single) and world jazz (Klarnet-Che with Sal Mamudoski, album). He has performed in numerous concerts and festivals in the US and abroad with renowned artists including Adam Birnbaum, and Alex Billtown.

Integrating musical elements from different genres, like Jazz, Latin Music or Rock, and geographies like the Americas, Balkans, or Middle East, into classical Turkish music, Tokgozol’s music portrays unexpected juxtapositions. His compositions startle the listener and challenge existing musical boundaries.

Through his work with TIME, he showcases the richness of Turkish music and makes Turkish music accessible to New Yorkers through public performances. He aims to integrate Turkish music into the musical and cultural diversity of New York. 

Tokgozol is passionate about creating music that is inclusive, equitable, and accessible. His focus is to build a global community through music and reimagine a more equitable world. He currently serves as a juror for the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Creative Engagement arts funding program that provides seed grants to individual artists and nonprofit organizations for projects and activities that offer Manhattan communities diverse artistic experiences.