Beaches Fine Arts continues its 53rd season with Evren Ozel, the Bronze Medalist of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 24, at St. Paul’s by the Sea, Jacksonville Beach. Door open at 6:45 p.m. Admission is free and followed by a reception to meet Ozel in Christopher Lobby at the rear of the sanctuary.
The Signature Concert Sponsor for this concert is Barb Wenger.
American pianist Evren Ozel, 26, has been described as “an absolute wow” (Third Coast Review) and “an artist capable of lifting everyone to another level” (La Scena Musicale), praised for his blend of technical mastery and compelling artistry. He is the Bronze Medalist of the 17th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (2025), where he also received the special prize for the Best Performance of a Mozart Concerto.
Ozel has performed extensively throughout the United States and internationally and is the recipient of a 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant and a 2022 Salon de Virtuosi Career Grant. He is currently represented by Concert Artists Guild as an Ambassador Prize Winner of the 2021 Victor Elmaleh Competition.
Since making his orchestral debut with the Minnesota Orchestra at age 11, Ozel has appeared as soloist with the Cleveland Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Jacksonville Symphony, performing under conductors such as Marin Alsop, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Jahja Ling and Ruth Reinhardt. His debut album — Mozart concertos recorded with the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra and conductor Howard Griffiths — was released in 2025 on Alpha Classics.
Ozel resides in Boston and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees and an artist diploma from the New England Conservatory, where he studied with Wha Kyung Byun. His other important mentors include Jonathan Biss, Imogen Cooper, Richard Goode, András Schiff, and Mitsuko Uchida.
St. Paul’s by the Sea Episcopal Church is located at 456 11th Ave. North, Jacksonville Beach.
More information: https://beachesfinearts.org/evren-ozel.
