The Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality Symphony Orchestra, born as a project of the legendary mayor Yılmaz Büyükerşen who began implementing various projects in 2001 to make Eskişehir a city of culture and art, is hosting a major international organization for the first time. Our orchestra, which has performed thousands of concerts, dozens of tours and educational concerts to date, is today bringing to life an important international conducting competition that will constitute an important step in the careers of young conductors and enable them to introduce themselves.
It is no coincidence that this international conducting competition, the first of which will be organized in 2026 under the auspices of the Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality Symphony Orchestra, is dedicated to the name of Gürer Aykal.
Gürer Aykal, our teacher who paved the way for many of our young people to grow by supporting them, who performed dozens of Turkish works at home and abroad during his international career spanning more than half a century, adopted Atatürk's words throughout his life
"... Turkish children will gain the idea of independence, they will think of those great achievements, they will learn about the men who created miracles, they will think that they are of the same blood and with this ability they will not bow to anyone..." (1924) as his life philosophy and always encouraged the youth of his country to walk on the path illuminated by these words.
The main purpose of this competition is to support Turkish youth with high self-confidence who feel Atatürk's trust in Turkish youth to the end in their souls, as well as to tell young people in the international arena how important a historical figure that great statesman is as a cultural revolutionary not only for his country but for the whole world.
For this reason, it is aimed that the "Eskişehir International Gürer Aykal Orchestra Conducting Competition" will become institutionalized at the international level over the years.
We believe that this organization, presided over by Honorary President Gürer Aykal, to whom the competition is dedicated, will be the most comprehensive international event ever held in Eskişehir. The competition, with other jury members including internationally renowned orchestra conductors such as Emil Tabakov (Bulgaria), Terje Mikkelsen (Norway), José Ferreira Lobo (Portugal) and James Ross (United Kingdom), will be held in Eskişehir between June 8-15.
Just as the special moments that an individual accumulates throughout his life in his memory, societies also store art in the corners of their collective memory where they load all kinds of emotions that exist together with humans - joyful, sad, enthusiastic. Although a work of art emerges as an individual creation, it is the expression of the spirit of the society, environment and time in which it was born and lived.
The "1st Eskişehir International Gürer Aykal Orchestra Conducting Competition", organized with the aim of shedding light on future generations through the career of Gürer Aykal, who is an important milestone in Turkey's artistic history, is not just a talent platform. This competition is a stage that aims to discover and support young people who break the mold, open doors to new interpretations and different narratives, and also see it as change and transformation management. While the artists of the Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality Symphony Orchestra host this competition, they are honored to offer an opportunity to make room for these young artists in the international arena.
Rengim Gökmen
1st Eskişehir International Gürer Aykal Conducting Competition
Art Director
