The qualifying rounds were held between the 17th and 19th May. The young opera artists who got through to the finals gave a short concert, during the awards ceremony held at the German Consulate on the evening of 20th May 2005. The concert was greatly appreciated by all who were there.

Believing in the role of art in the development of a society through its annual Opera Competition, Siemens Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş., aims to encourage young people participate and also increase the interest in community for art. In total 44 talented young people applied to enter the seventh Siemens Opera Competition.

The preliminary round was held on 17th May, and then the semi-final and final phases were held in front of an audience on 18th and 19th May. The results of the competition were announced on the evening of 20th of May 2005 at the German Consulate in Istanbul.

The winner of this year's competition was Pinar Yildirim, Asude Karayavuz was the runner-up, Murat Cem Orhan won third place and Erkut Cantürk received a special mention. During the ceremony, the artists who had been awarded prizes performed a mini-concert for the invited guests.

The jury was composed of Opera Director Ass. Prof. Yekta Kara, State Artist Mete Uğur, Dresden Opera General Art Director Prof. Gerd Uecker, Karlsruhe Opera General Art Director Achim Thorwald and Siemens representative Mrs. Özen Incecik. The jury stated that all the entrants were very talented and that they had experienced serious difficulty in choosing the winners.

The winner of the competition, Pınar Yıldırım, won a one-year scholarship for the Karlsruhe Opera and four months of German language learning at the Goethe Institute Inter Nationes Istanbul. The first runner-up, Asude Karayavuz, won a six-week summer scholarship for the Salzburg Mozarteum Music Academy and two months of German language learning at the Goethe Institute Inter Nationes Istanbul and the second runner-up, Murat Cem Orhan, won a cash prize of €2,000. Erkut Cantürk received €1,000 for his special mention.

The Siemens Art Award, initiated in 1993 by Siemens Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş., became an annual event thanks to the growing interest of art lovers. Siemens Art Awards were previously organised in the disciplines of painting, photography, sculpture and short film. For the last seven years, it has been the Siemens Opera Competition.

Pınar Yıldırım was born in Istanbul. In 1997, she began her studies at the Mimar Sinan University State Conservatory Performing Arts Opera Department. She studied singing with Prof. Mesut İktu, performing with Ass. Prof. Yekta Kara, and style and repertoire with Rayna Popova. In 2003, she was able to skip a year and graduated with a very good degree.

During the time of her studies, Pınar Yıldırım performed in the Magic Flute (III.Dame) and the Marriage of Figaro (Cherubino) operas. She also sang the Alto part of Ludwig van Beethoven's 9th Symphony. In 2001, she received the Turkish Education Foundation's Superior Service Success Award. In 2003, she took part in a concert held at the final ceremony of the Belvedere Singing Competition in Turkey. In the 2003/2004 opera season, she passed an examination and started to work at the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet Institution where she played a part in the operas Jenufa and Carmen.

In 2004, she attended Prof. Elio Battaglia's Master Class Program at the Salzburg Mozarteum Summer Academy with a scholarship from A.L.E.V Foundation and Siemens. At the end of this course, she was selected to take part in the Academy concert.

She won the Turkish heat of the Belvedere Singing Competition and went on to perform in the competition in Austria.

Asude Karayavuz was born in Istanbul, on the 27th October 1982. In 1996, she passed the entrance examination of Istanbul Anatolian Fine Arts High School. Throughout the time of her studies, she studied the piano and flute. She took part in various events, concerts, and festivals as a part of an orchestra or choir or as a soloist.

In 2001, she passed the entrance examination for Mimar Sinan University State Conservatory Opera Department, and began her training in singing with tutor Payam Koryak. During her studies she performed as a soloist in a concert held at the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Auditorium and the Italian Culture University Auditorium. In her preparatory education and first year, she took part in "public" Opera Nights put on by a private institution.

In the 2003-2003 opera season, she played Marcellina in "the Marriage of Figaro" opera staged by Ass. Prof. Yekta Kara at the Ataturk Culture Centre as a part of the 120th anniversary celebrations of the establishment of Mimar Sinan University State Conservatory.

For the 2004-2005 opera season, she's been rehearsing the part of Dorabella in Mozart's "Cosi fan Tutte." Currently she is studying her 2nd year and progressing in her singing studies under the tutorage of Payam Koryak.

Born in 1981, in İzmir, Murat Cem Orhan went to Izmir Saint Joseph French College and Izmir Science High School. In 1999, he began his studies at Dokuz Eylul University State Conservatory Department of Singing.

In 2001, he went to Venice Benedetto Marcello Conservatory as a part of a student exchange programme. He gave two concerts, one in Venice, the other in Treviso. In 2003, he performed the role of Gugielmo in Mozart's "Cosi fan tutte". The same year, he entered the Izmir State Opera and Ballet, and performed the role of II. Grand Sacerdote in Verdi's Nabucco a total of seven times. The first performance was at the International Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival. In the same year, he gave two concerts in the town of Belfort, France, as a part of the International Belfort Music Festival with a repertoire consisting entirely of Turkish works. In 2005, he won the Edirne Rotary 8th International Singing Competition.

Orhan speaks French, English and Italian. Right now he is studying for a master's degree in Istanbul University State Conservatory, under the tutorage of Güzin Gürel

Erkut Cantürk was born in Şanlıurfa, in 1981. He completed his primary school and high school education in Istanbul, and started his interest in music at the age of 10 when he started taking organ lessons. He was a member of the school orchestra at high school. In 1999, he entered Mimar Sinan University State Conservatory Department of Opera Singing and became a student of Şamil Gökberk. In 2001, he passed the entrance examination for Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall and became a member of the choir

In 2003, he performed the role of "Antonio" in Mozart's opera "The Marriage of Figaro", a school production conducted by Ass. Prof. Yekta Kara. In 2004, he performed the "Dichterliebe" Lied series of Schumann. In 2005, he passed the entrance examination for the New Opera Academy, a joint project run by the Amsterdam and Den Haag conservatories. In 2005, he won the Shining Stars competition of İş Sanat.

Cantürk is continuing his studies under Şamil Gökberk and is currently in his 4th year at the Mimar Sinan University State Conservatory.

Defne Bali
Global Tanıtım
Tel: 0.212.270 52 32
defne.bali@globaltanitim.com