'I am interested in situations or people that are overlooked in everyday life.' - Meriç Artaç two seasons guest composer of Day in the Fire.

'I always draw out my characters before I start composing. They are inspired by people I see on the street, personalities I admire, details that make someone special... I usually focus on one specific aspect of a character, a dominant mood that I then highlight in my composition.'

Born in 1990 in Istanbul, Meriç Artaç was admitted to the Istanbul Conservatory of Music as a five-year-old toddler. After graduating from Rotterdam Conservatoire in 2015, she quickly made a name for herself in our country too. She produces current operas such as Zonderland, Madam Koo and Women's voices, leads her own ensemble AKOM and teaches at the Amsterdam Conservatory of Music. For the next two seasons, she will be guest composer of Festival Day in the Branding.

At the age of five, you went to the Istanbul Conservatory to study piano. How was this possible?

'I was indeed the youngest student to be admitted to the piano class. This was on the advice of my kindergarten teacher, who was a musician herself. I was struggling with reading and writing and she noticed that I had a good ear for music, so she advised my parents to send me to a music school.'

'Great advice. For as long as I can remember, there has been music in my life. My father is a film and theatre director, my mother is a script and theatre writer, from day one I have been immersed in art. But I studied part-time at the conservatory. During the day I went to primary school, later to the Lycée Saint-Michel, and in the evening I went to music lessons.'

At 18, you received a diploma from Istanbul's Vonservatorium and completed a French baccalaureate at the Lycée Saint-Michel. Why didn't you go to France but to Rotterdam?

'To be honest, I also applied to conservatoires in France. Although I was also accepted there, when I entered Codarts in Rotterdam, it was love at first sight. I found the Netherlands in general very free and immediately felt that I could develop my talents as an artist here. In Istanbul, the teaching method was totally different, very disciplined and extremely conservative. - Debussy was considered the most contemporary composer.'

'At Codarts, I felt that everything was open. I had to take responsibility for my own choices, while in Istanbul everything was filled in and arranged for me. In Rotterdam I found a place where I could shape my own studies and my own future. I chose Peter-Jan Wagemans as a teacher, because I wanted to refine my music/theatre language. Peter-Jan helped me understand what I am passionate about. He also made me aware of how to connect my own background with what I wanted to achieve within my style.'

You often describe your compositions as "musical representations of characters and stories". How should we understand this?

'From a young age, I was interested in stories of specific individuals and people in general. I consider myself an observer and like to exaggerate things that are overlooked but seem worthwhile to me. I always draw out my characters before I start composing. They are inspired by people I see on the street, personalities I admire, details that make someone special... I usually focus on one specific aspect of a character, a dominant mood that I then highlight in my composition.'

'I am interested in situations or people that are overlooked in everyday life. This is how Madam Koo takes place entirely in her own home and that of her neighbour Mr Oak. We see her habits and obsessions, like counting her pearls, putting her house in order and all those little details that make Madam Koo who she is. Or take my opera Kayra, in which Kayra stands next to her mother, who is dying in the bathtub. - Not a big storyline but a very personal and intimate moment, and therefore all the more poignant.'

You often deal with topical issues such as discrimination, refugees, suspicion and fear in unfree societies. Do you see it as your job to relate to problematic issues in society?

'No, I don't see that as my job. I am a now a now a very expressive person, which inevitably seeps into my compositions. I am inspired by life in general, so my characters and my music relate to what is going on around me. Those topics are ubiquitous: people talk about them, I see and read about them on television, the internet, the newspapers and so on. I react immediately to such themes, so naturally they become the subject of my operas.'

You lead the AKOM Ensemble. How is this different from other ensembles? 

'The AKOM Ensemble was founded by Jan Kuhr, a classmate of mine at Codarts. We felt there were too few ensembles willing to play works by young composers, especially in Rotterdam. So basically we formed it for ourselves. AKOM bridges the gap between graduate students and well-known professionals. The musicians are enormously dedicated and the ensemble has gradually become more successful. Over the years, we have become a close-knit team, with a passion to work together. In 2015, I took over the artistic direction.'

On 12 October, AKOM will play 'Rudan's Coffee Break', which premiered at Istanbul's Pera Museum earlier this year. What can we expect?

'I composed Rudan's Coffee Break commissioned by the Pera Museum. It was intended for the exhibition Coffee Break around their collection of Kütahya Tiles and Ceramics. I was inspired by the ritual of brewing coffee. - Not by just anyone, but by a man whose mind is very chaotic and disturbed. Rudan is a businessman who has worked very hard all his life and runs away from his personal dilemmas. He is a workaholic. The moment he stops and decides to make coffee, all these repressed thoughts and emotions surface. We are stuck in his head as he makes coffee, the music swirling around him like a huge cloud of emotions.'

'The play premiered in May, but in The Hague I am presenting an adaptation. Rudan's Coffee Break was originally set for a trio of strings and electronics, the new version is for flute, clarinet, piano, violin, cello and electronics. I insisted on making a new arrangement for my first concert in Day in the Fire. After all, Rudan is a character who is still alive in his house, but by now a few months have passed, even in his universe. I want to explore how time passes and how this affects and transforms Rudan.'

You are a guest composer of Day in the Branding for two years. What are your plans and how do you relate to the festival?

'I have already programmed the next four editions, we are still thinking about the fill-in for 2020/21. Programming music for an all-day festival helped me understand how to create a bigger picture. It was interesting to think about how to reach the audience and how to connect different themes with my own pieces.'

'In each edition, I will focus on an aspect I want to explore further, such as light, space, set and costume. I want to work with different coaches and artists to learn from each other and develop my work. For the December edition, I have a performance of Madam Koo scheduled.'

'For the festival in March 2020, I am working on a composition about the multiple personality complex, in which I present my three-headed character Zizos. This character is sarcastic and self-destructive, and I want to explore his psychological, inner conversations. I'm thinking of combining three singers with wind ensemble and surround electronics, but it's still a work in progress.'

'Over the next two years, I want to hone my language on opera installation, with an emphasis on mentally disturbed characters. However, it is not about the mental disorder per se, which only serves to explain the dominant mood of the person in question. I am grateful for the opportunity to explore my own subject matter further. I hope to write seven new, short pieces.'

'For my eighth and final edition of Day in the Surf, I am creating a large music-theatre installation. In it, all previous characters come together in what I call the "character house". I look forward to presenting the results of my learning in 2021!'