Rengim Gökmen
Rengim Gökmen was born in Istanbul, Turkey in 1955. He was born into a theatrical household and received his first music lessons from his family. In 1964, Mr. Gökmen was admitted to the Ankara State Conservatory, where he studied with İlhan Baran and Ahmed Adnan Saygun.
In 1975, Rengim Gökmen received a scholarship from the Turkish Government that allowed him to continue his studies of orchestra conducting at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome. He went on to study at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena under the direction of Franco Ferrara before returning to the Academy of Santa Cecilia for an additional course of advanced studies. His achievements qualified him to conduct a concert with the Orchestra Nazionale dell' Accademia di Santa Cecilia' at the Via Della Concilizione.
After returning to Turkey, during the 1984-1989 seasons, Mr. Gökmen served as the General Music Director of the Ankara State Opera and Ballet. From 1991-2006, he was the Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Izmir State Symphony Orchestra. From 2006-2011, Mr. Gökmen was the Principal Conductor of the Presidential Symphony Orchestra of Turkey.
Rengim Gökmen has been the recipient of many awards. In July 1980, he won the ‘'Gino Marinuzzi'' contest for young international conductors. In 1989, the Italian government awarded Mr. Gökmen the "Cavalleria in ordine di Merito." Most recently, he received the Turkish Presidential Culture and Art Prize and the Gold Medal of "Foyer des Artistes."
Presently, Rengim Gökmen is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Ankara and Istanbul International Art Festivals. He is the General Director of the Turkish State Opera and Ballet and is also a member of the academic staff of Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory. He continues to conduct orchestras throughout Europe.
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