FESTIVAL ART DIRECTOR

Ender Sakpınar has served as Chief Conductor of the İstanbul State Symphony Orchestra, Principal Conductor of the İzmir State Symphony Orchestra, and Chief Conductor of the Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality Symphony Orchestra.

He completed his composition and conducting studies in Turkey and Paris under the guidance of famous conductors such as Gérard Devos, Franco Ferrara, and Carlo Maria Giulini in Italy. Following a two-year tenure as Assistant Conductor to Gérard Devos at the Orchestre Pasdeloup in Paris, he established the Ensemble International de Paris Symphony Orchestra and served as its Founding Music Director and Principal Conductor. He led the orchestra in numerous performances and concert tours across France, Italy, Sweden, and Turkey, earning recognition for its international artistic collaborations and diverse symphonic repertoire.

Throughout his career, Sakpınar has regularly conducted opera, symphony, and chamber orchestras in France, Germany, Italy, Holland, Spain, Sweden, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Croatia, Greece, Japan, and Mexico. His regular engagements as a guest conductor include orchestras such as the Berlin Symphoniker, North Czech Philharmonic, Krakow Philharmonic, Berlin Chamber Orchestra, Toulouse Chamber Orchestra, Thüringer Symphony Orchestra, Silesian Philharmonie, Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra, San Remo Symphony Orchestra, Sicily Symphony Orchestra, Monterrey Symphony Orchestra, ERT Radio Television Symphony Orchestra, and Stockholm Folk Opera.

Notable highlights include conducting concerts at Tonhalle Maag Zurich, Mozarteum Salzburg, Zaragoza Mozart Hall Spain, and the Smetana Hall and Dvořák Hall of Rudolfinum in Prague.

Sakpınar has collaborated with illustrious soloists such as Maxim Vengerov, Shlomo Mintz, Mintcho Mintchev, Václav Hudeček, David Geringas, Viktor Pikaizen, İdil Biret, Güher and Süher Pekinel, Gülsin Onay, Konstantin Kulka, Maxim Fedotov, Tedi Papavrami, Vladimir Krainev, Peter Katin, Jiří Bárta, György Sándor, Ivry Gitlis, and Roby Lakatos.