Evaluation Board

Ender Sakpınar completed his composition and conducting studies in Turkey and Paris. He worked with world-leading conductors such as Gérard Devos in France, and Franco Ferrara and Carlo Maria Giulini in Italy.

After serving as assistant conductor for two years at the Orchestre Pasdeloup in Paris, under the direction of the famous conductor and educator Gérard Devos, he founded the Ensemble International de Paris Symphony Orchestra, where he served as the founding music director and permanent conductor. The orchestra under his baton stood out for its international artistic collaborations and extensive repertoire through concerts and tours in France, Italy, Sweden, and Turkey.

Throughout his career, Sakpınar held positions as Conductor and Music Director of the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra, Conductor of the Izmir State Symphony Orchestra, and Artistic Advisor, Conductor, and Music Director of the Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality Symphony Orchestra.

Dr. Atilla Çağdaş Değer graduated from Bilkent University Faculty of Music and Performing Arts, Department of Choral Conducting. He completed his master's and doctoral studies in Choral Conducting and Education at Gazi University Institute of Educational Sciences, Department of Fine Arts Education.

He has been serving as a faculty member at Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory since 1996. Between 2007 and 2011, he taught "Choir" courses at Gazi University Department of Music Education. In 2012, he taught part-time "Ear Training" and "Choir" courses at Bilkent University Faculty of Music and Performing Arts.

He is a member of the Music Educators Association (2001), the founder and first general president of the Choral Conductors Association (2009), the Turkish Polyphonic Choirs Association (2012), and the Choral Culture Association Music Commission (2020–2025). He served as the principal of HUADK Music and Ballet Middle and High School between 2017 and 2022.

On the 100th anniversary of our Republic, he is the founding conductor of the "Turkey Youth Choir" established in cooperation with the Choral Culture Association and Choral Conductors Association (2023–2025). He conducts Solfege-Dictation-Theory and Choir courses at Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory, focusing on the "Turkey Choral Conducting Academy" and "KoroTürkiye" projects.

Known for the generations she raised in the field of choral music in Turkey and her guiding works, choral conductor, composer, and educator Aytepe completed her undergraduate education at Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory, Composition Department, educated by İstemihan Taviloğlu and Turgay Erdener. She completed her master’s degree in Orchestra and Choral Conducting under the supervision of Rengim Gökmen. During and after her education process, Aytepe continued her conducting and composing studies with international masters.

Aytepe, who has been a faculty member at H.U. Ankara State Conservatory since 2005, established choirs, realized projects, and prepared two books within the institution alongside Atilla Çağdaş Değer. Working in very different areas of choral music through concerts and projects on national and international platforms, Aytepe has contributed to the promotion of Turkish choral music abroad, given courses in the fields of choral conducting and education in cooperation with many institutions, supported the development of young conductors, and served as a jury member on festival evaluation boards.

She served as the conductor of the TRT Youth Choir between 2015 and 2025, and as the conductor of the Ankara State Opera and Ballet Choir during the 2021/22 season. She implemented projects with the TRT Polyphonic Choir as a guest conductor during the 2017-2019 period. Aytepe performed the Turkish premieres of masterpieces such as Bach's Mass in B minor and Handel's Dixit Dominus, and the world premieres of Turkish composers with the Saygun Philharmonic Choir.

She currently conducts the H.U. Ankara State Conservatory Undergraduate Choir, TPKD Association Choir, Turkey Youth Choir, and Saygun Philharmonic Choir, and continues her work on national and international choral projects.

Francesco Di Mauro is the Music Director of the Capri Opera Festival, Artistic Director of the Metaponto Festival, and Artistic Director of the Fondation Sicilian Symphony Orchestra.

He completed his conducting studies in Italy and at the Paris Conservatory under the guidance of famous masters such as Sergiu Celibidache and Henry-Claude Fantapié. Maestro Di Mauro regularly conducts opera, symphony, and chamber orchestras in Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Croatia, Portugal, Austria, Russia, Bulgaria, Argentina, Brazil, and the United States.

In addition to his regular work in Italian theaters, his international career is developing with engagements at prestigious musical institutions such as Carnegie Hall in New York, Zagreb National Opera, Opera Lyra Ottawa, Hong Kong Opera, Gdansk Opera Theatre, the Warsaw National Chamber Opera, Odessa Opera House, the Krakow Philharmonic Orchestra, the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic, the Sofia Radio Television Orchestra, the Zurich Tonhalle Symphony Orchestra, the Mannheim Chamber Orchestra, the Denver Symphony Orchestra, and the Turin Philharmonic Orchestra.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hakan Bağcı was born in Germany in 1977. He graduated from Marmara University Atatürk Education Faculty Department of Music Education, and completed his Master's and Doctoral studies at the same university's Institute of Educational Sciences.

He teaches Solfege, Harmony, Choir, Piano, Scientific Research Methods and Techniques, Statistics, and Computer-Aided Music Design. He performed as a chorister in ensembles such as Anadolu University Polyphonic Youth Choir, Marmara University Polyphonic Choir, TRT Istanbul Radio Polyphonic Youth Choir, and Kadıköy Municipality Polyphonic Choir.

He currently serves as the vice dean of Kocaeli University Faculty of Fine Arts and Head of the Musicology Department. He conducts the Kocaeli University Fine Arts Faculty Music Department Choir, Yücel Elmas Choir, Kocaeli University Polyphonic Choir, and Koro Frekans Choirs.

He serves as a jury member in various festivals and choral events, has published book studies on music education for disabled individuals, and conducts piano accompaniment and choral arrangement studies.

Dr. Mete Gökçe is a choir conductor, educator, and academician. He completed his undergraduate studies in Music Education at Gazi University and earned his master's degree in Choral Conducting from Chukurova University State Conservatory.

He completed his doctoral studies in Choral Conducting and Education at Sofia Saint Kliment Ohridski University upon the invitation of the world-renowned Bulgarian conductor Prof. Dr. Hristo Nedyalkov. He is currently a faculty member at the State Conservatory and Fine Arts Education Department of CHOMU.

He is one of the founding directors of the "100 Voices Choir School" established in 2014 to contribute to choral music education. He has conducted numerous workshops and choral education projects on national and international platforms, and has served as a evaluation board member at prestigious choral festivals.

Greek conductor and violinist Nikos Haliassas graduated from the Athens Conservatory violin department and pursued postgraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music in London. He studied choral and orchestral conducting at Trinity College of Music.

He attended master classes with legendary conductors such as Sergiu Celibidache and Jorma Panula. He has conducted many international orchestras, including the Athens and Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestras, the Cyprus State Symphony Orchestra, and various state symphony orchestras in Turkey.

He is currently the Artistic Director and conductor of the Camerata Junior Youth Symphony Orchestra at the Athens Conservatory. He also serves as the artistic director of the "MousiKos" and "D. Kremastinos" International Music Festivals.

German conductor Oliver Weder studied conducting with Jiří Stárek at the Frankfurt Music Academy before becoming a student of Ilya Musin and Vladislav Chernushenko at the St. Petersburg State Conservatory. In 1994, he was selected by Valery Gergiev as assistant for the German repertoire at the Mariinsky Theatre.

He served as First Kapellmeister at the Perm State Opera and Ballet and principal conductor of the Rimsky-Korsakov State Theatre. In Germany, he served for many years as General Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Thüringer Symphoniker (Thuringia Symphony Orchestra) and Rudolstadt Opera.

Performing as a guest conductor with numerous prestigious symphony orchestras internationally, Weder is recognized for his deep expertise in classical and operatic repertoire.

Özlem Erdoğan is a choir conductor and music educator at the Eskişehir Polyphonic Choirs Association (EPKD). Conducting the choirs within the association, she plays an active role in the development of Eskişehir's choral culture.

She carries out various studies and projects in the areas of disseminating polyphonic choral music, choral conducting techniques, and polyphonic repertoire.

She serves as an organization committee member and evaluation board representative for the Eskişehir International Polyphonic Choirs Festival.

Born in Gümüşhane, renowned Turkish composer Turgay Erdener studied with Kamuran Gündemir at the Ankara State Conservatory Piano Department, and later graduated as a student of Erçivan Saydam and Nevit Kodallı at the Composition Department.

He served as a faculty member and head of department at Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory Department of Composition and Orchestra Conducting for many years. He raised numerous young artists by teaching harmony, counterpoint, and composition. He currently teaches at Maltepe University Conservatory.

Erdener has composed unique stage works, ballets (Afife, Mavi Gözlü Dev), concertos, and theater music combining traditional Turkish music elements with modern compositional techniques. He is a pioneering composer who masterfully utilizes the limits of the human voice and choral music in his works.

Zeynep Göknur Yıldız completed both her undergraduate and master's degrees in the Department of Voice Studies within the Division of Music Education at Gazi University Faculty of Education. She began her academic career at Süleyman Demirel University and currently serves as a Lecturer in Voice and Choral Studies in the Department of Music Education at Bursa Uludağ University.

In 2006, she founded the Bursa Polyphonic Choir, with which she continues to work actively. Under her leadership, the choir has received numerous national and international awards. In 2007, she was honored with the Special Conductor's Award at the International May Choir Competition held in Varna, Bulgaria. She was also awarded the Best Conductor Award at the 2nd International Antalya Concert Festival, the 2012 Florence Choir Festival, and the 2014 Canta al Mar International Choir Festival in Spain.

Yıldız served as a jury member at the 2016 World Choir Games in Sochi, Russia, and the 3rd European Choir Games held in Riga, Latvia, in 2017. She has also served in the juries of various choral festivals in Türkiye.