Rengim Gokmen (born August 19, 1955, Ankara) is a Turkish

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Biology and medicine * Bone conduction, the conduction of sound to the inner ear * Conduction aphasia, a language disorder Mathematics * Conductor (ring theory) * Conductor of an abelian variety * Cond ...

. He is a music man who held important positions in classical music life of

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. He was the General Director of

Turkish State Opera and Ballet The State Opera and Ballet () is the national directorate of opera and ballet companies of Turkey, with venues in Ankara, Istanbul, İzmir, Mersin, Antalya and Samsun. The directorate is bound to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. As of January ...

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

Presidential Symphony Orchestra The Presidential Symphony Orchestra (; CSO), 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 symphony orchestras in the world. Afte ...

between 2006-2020.

Early life and education

Gökmen was born in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

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 (), the first conservatory to be founded in the Republic of Turkey, was established in 1936 by a directive of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. The conservatory is part of Hacettepe University. History ...

in 1964. Subsequently, he was admitted to the Composition section of the same conservatory and there he studied with İlhan Baran and

Adnan Saygun Ahmet Adnan Saygun (; 7 September 1907 – 6 January 1991) was a Turkish composer, musicologist and writer on music. One of a group of composers known as the Turkish Five who pioneered western classical music in Turkey, his works show a maste ...

. 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. 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 a ...

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

Siena Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...

. 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 constr ...

. He also attended summer courses on orchestra conducting in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, England and

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

Career

In July 1980, he won

Gino Marinuzzi Gino Marinuzzi (24 March 188217 August 1945) was an Italian conductor and composer, particularly associated with the operas of Wagner and the Italian repertory. Biography Marinuzzi was born and studied in Palermo; graduating from the Palermo ...

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

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 Musicians from Istanbul Ankara State Conservatory alumni 20th-century conductors (music) 21st-century Turkish conductors (music) Academic staff of Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory