Cem Mansur receives the Istanbul Music Festival Honorary Award

The 52nd Istanbul Music Festival will meet music lovers between May 21 and June 12.

The festival will host orchestras and renowned soloists from all over the world in 25 concerts to be held at various venues across Istanbul.

The festival's Honorary Award will be presented to conductor Cem Mansur on May 21, prior to the opening concert where he will conduct the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra, in recognition of his 40-year role in the classical music world, his intensive career in Turkey, Europe, and the UK, as well as the orchestras he has founded and the opportunities he has created for young people.

WHO IS CEM MANSUR?

Cem Mansur (born 1957, Istanbul) is a Turkish conductor.

He is an internationally recognized artist who served as the conductor of the Istanbul State Opera between 1981-1989, principal conductor of the City of Oxford Orchestra between 1989-1997, and permanent conductor of the Akbank Chamber Orchestra between 1998-2011. Mansur, the founder and conductor of the National Youth Symphony Orchestra (now known as the Turkish National Youth Philharmonic Orchestra) established in Istanbul in 2007, served as the general director of the Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall in the same city between 2019-2021.

News Source: 12punto