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    Dr. Burak Onur Erdem

    Level 5 Tutor

    Principal Conductor, Turkish State Choir
    Vice-President, International Federation of Choral Music 

    Dr. Burak Onur Erdem has established himself as a prominent voice in the international choral scene. As Principal Conductor of the Turkish State Choir and Vice-President of International Federation of Choral Music, he has built a distinguished career at the intersection of artistic leadership, education, and global cultural exchange.

    Born and educated in Istanbul, Dr. Erdem began his studies at Deutsche Schule Istanbul before graduating with high honours from Boğaziçi University with a degree in Political Science & International Relations, earning the Rector's Prize. He earned a Master's in Music Theory and a Ph.D. in Conducting from the ITU Centre for Advanced Studies in Music, followed by advanced postgraduate studies under Prof. Johannes Prinz at Kunstuniversität Graz. His artistic formation was further shaped through masterclasses with Maria Guinand, Frieder Bernius, Georg Grün, Denes Szabo, Volker Hempfling, and Anders Eby.

    Dr. Erdem gained early international experience through prizes at Jugend Musiziert in Cairo, Athens, Rome, and Nürnberg. With his ensemble Rezonans, he won international prizes in Cork, Arezzo, Varna, and Marktoberdorf. With his ensembles, he performed Turkish choral music across Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Hungary, Estonia, Bulgaria and Greece.

    At the helm of the Turkish State Choir, Dr. Erdem has premiered and recorded numerous new choral works, championing living composers with consistent commitment. He maintains an active international guest conducting career, as in renowned Vokalwoche in Austria and Debrecen Kodály Choir in Hungary. He is set to guest conduct the Nederlands Kamerkoor for 2027 — one of Europe's most celebrated professional chamber choirs.

    As a pedagogue, Dr. Erdem teaches choral conducting at Bilkent University's Music Department. He is co-founder of the Walter Strauss Choral Conducting Masterclass in Ankara — now in its tenth edition — and has taught at the Sing Ireland Summer School in Limerick, the Italian Choral Academy in Arezzo, Fano and Venice numerous times.

    He is a trusted voice on international juries, having adjudicated in Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Indonesia, and Thailand, as well as the German Choral Competition, the Arezzo Choral Competition, the Italian Conductors Competition, and the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing in Varna — the most prestigious choral prize in Europe.

    Dr. Erdem's institution-building work has profoundly shaped choral culture in Türkiye and beyond. As founding president of the Choral Culture Association, he has spearheaded the founding of the Turkish National Youth Choir, organised the European Choral Association Conference in Cappadocia, launched annual Choral Marathons and training programmes, and initiated the Turkish Choral Music Library. He organised the Re:Connect Conference for TENSO (European Network of Professional Chamber Choirs) in Ankara — a landmark event bridging European professional choral networks with Turkish musical life.

    He served as Vice-President of the European Choral Association and continues as Vice-President of the International Federation of Choral Music (IFCM). He has contributed to music commissions for Europa Cantat Festivals and the Leading Voices Conferences, still works as artistic advisor to the World Youth Choir. In 2023, he served as Festival Director of the World Symposium on Choral Music in Istanbul, the most significant global gathering in the choral field.

    Dr. Burak Onur Erdem stands as a multifaceted voice in the choral world: a conductor, educator, curator, and ambassador whose work continues to expand the horizons of what choral art can mean — and where it can reach.



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