Rengim Gokmen (born August 19, 1955, Ankara) is a Turkish conductor. He is a music man who held important positions in classical music life of

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

. He was the General Director of

Turkish State Opera and Ballet Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

between 1992-1995 and 2007-2014. and also the Principal Conductor of

Presidential Symphony Orchestra The Presidential Symphony Orchestra ( tr, Cumhurbaşkanlığı Senfoni Orkestrası), with headquarters in Ankara, is the presidential symphony orchestra of the Republic of Turkey. Its history dates back as far as 1826, making it one of the first s ...

between 2006-2020.

Early life and education

Gökmen was born in

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

in 1955. He had his first music lessons from his family and was admitted to the piano section of the

Ankara State Conservatory The Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory ( tr, Hacettepe Üniversitesi Ankara Devlet Konservatuvarı), the first conservatory to be founded in the Republic of Turkey, was established in 1936 by a directive of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. ...

in 1964. Subsequently, he was admitted to the Composition section of the same conservatory and there he studied with İlhan Baran and Adnan Saygun. He graduated from these sections in 1974. In 1975 Gökmen was awarded with a scholarship by the Turkish Government to continue his studies on orchestra conducting in Rome. He became the student of orchestra conducting class in

Santa Cecilia Conservatory The Conservatorio di Musica Santa Cecilia is a state conservatory in Rome. History The institution has its roots dated back to the Congregazione de' musici di Roma named after Saint Cecilia in 1565 (now Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia). Sinc ...

. In the meantime he made advanced studies on violin which he had started in Turkey. Subsequently, he was admitted to the course for advanced studies in orchestra conducting in Santa Cecilia National Academy under the direction of

Franco Ferrara Franco Ferrara (Palermo, 4 July 1911Florence, 7 September 1985) was an Italian conductor and teacher. Among his many students are various prominent conductors, including Roberto Abbado, Riccardo Chailly, Andrew Davis and Riccardo Muti. Life and ...

. He received his diploma from Santa Cecilia Conservatory in 1978 and in the same year he qualified for ‘’Diploma di Merito’’ by

Accademia Chigiana The Accademia Musicale Chigiana (''English'': Chigiana Musical Academy) is a music institute in Siena, Italy. It was founded by Count Guido Chigi-Saracini in 1932 as an international centre for advanced musical studies. It organises Master Class ...

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centur ...

. In 1979, Gökmen completed his advanced studies at Academy of Santa Cecilia. His achievements qualified him to conduct a concert with Orchestra Nazionale dell’ Accademia di Santa Cecilia at

Via della Conciliazione Via della Conciliazione (Road of the Conciliation) is a street in the Rione of Borgo within Rome, Italy. Roughly in length, it connects Saint Peter's Square to the Castel Sant'Angelo on the western bank of the Tiber River. The road was constru ...

. He also attended summer courses on orchestra conducting in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, England and

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Career

In July 1980, he won Gino Marinuzzi contest for young international conductors. Then he conducted many orchestras both in Turkey and in Europe. During 1984 - 1989 season, he served as the General Music Director of Ankara State Opera and Ballet. In 1989 he has been awarded "''Cavalleria in ordine di Merito''" by the Italian Government. Between 1991-2006 he was the music director and the principal conductor of Izmir State Symphony Orchestra. Meanwhile he also conducted concerts and made recordings in Turkey and in abroad with Izmir State Symphony Orchestra. He held the position as the General Director of

between 1992–1995. In 1999, Turkish Presidential Culture and Art Prize and in 2000, Gold Medal of "''Foyer des Artistes''" in Rome, Italy are presented to Gökmen. He reappointed as the General Director of Turkish State Opera and Ballet in 2007 and held the position until 2014. Since 2007, he also served as principal conductor of

until 2020. He is a member of the Advisory Committee of Ankara and Istanbul International Art Festivals. He is founder and principal conductor of the ''Doğuş Children’s Symphony Orchestra'' based in Turkey. He also serves as the supervisor of the İzmir Karşıyaka Municipality Chamber Orchestra, which was founded in 2015 and teaches conducting at Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gokmen, Rengim 1955 births Living people Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia alumni Accademia Musicale Chigiana alumni Music directors (opera) Opera managers State Artists of Turkey Turkish conductors (music) Musicians from Istanbul Ankara State Conservatory alumni 20th-century conductors (music) 21st-century conductors (music)