07:00 pm
Cem Mansur Conductor
Özgür Ünaldı Piano
Emre Şener Composer
„MAGIC“
ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK · Prelude to „Hänsel und Gretel“ (1893)
PIOTR I. TCHAIKOVSKY · Piano Concerto No. 1 in B♭ minor, Op. 23 (1874-1875)
EMRE ŞENER · „Je ne sais quoi" (2026, German Premiere)
MAURICE RAVEL · „Ma Mère l’oye” five pieces for Children (1911)
PAUL DUKAS · „L’Apprenti sorcier” (1897)
The National Youth Philharmonic of Turkey is a popular guest at Young Euro Classic. Time upon time, it brings an irresistible mix of a high musical level and Mediterranean temperament to the stage. Then there is its charismatic conductor Cem Mansur, whose programmes offer interesting twists every time. Thus it is this summer, when the programme is dedicated to “Magic”: it begins with the overture to Germany’s favourite Christmas opera, Hänsel und Gretel, and ends with one of the most attractive pieces in all of French orchestral literature, Paul Dukas’ Sorcerer’s Apprentice, inspired by Goethe’s famous ballad. From its homeland, the National Youth Philharmonic of Turkey brings a work by the young composer Emre Şener, which is followed by Maruice Ravel’s sonorous orchestral suite Ma mère l’oye (Mother Goose). And then there’s the highlight in the middle: the pianist Özgür Ünaldı will shine with some keyboard magic, performing Tchaikovsky’s Concerto in B-flat minor.
It’s hard to imagine a summery festival programme with more magic!
Since it was founded by the conductor Cem Mansur in 2007, the Turkish National Youth Philharmonic Orchestra has considered itself a “laboratory of democracy”, focusing not only on intensive musical work, but also on the principles of coexistence, leadership, self-respect and responsibility. Workshops and seminars play an important role in imparting these goals – thus also in 2014, when the orchestra visited the banks of the River Spree on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the city partnership between Istanbul and Berlin. Apart from its own appearances at Young Euro Classic – most recently in 2017, 2019, 2022 and 2024 – two binational projects also found a broad resonance: the Young Euro Classic Festival Orchestra Turkey-Germany in 2011 and the Armenian-Turkish Youth Orchestra in 2012. During recent years, the musicians aged 16 to 22 have appeared successfully at the Philharmonic Halls in Dortmund and Essen, at the Auditorio in Rome, in Brussels, at the Brucknerfest in Linz and the Beethovenfest in Bonn. The orchestra has also performed in Vienna, Budapest, Prague and Warsaw on numerous occasions, appearing with soloists such as Murray Perahia, Natalia Gutman, İvo Pogorelich, Stephen Kovacevich, Shlomo Mintz and Salvatore Accardo.
The personal and artistic biography of Cem Mansur could hardly be more cosmopolitan: the British and Turkish citizen was born in Istanbul in 1957 into a multi-national and multi-lingual family. He studied first in London and then with Leonard Bernstein at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute. As the conductor of the Istanbul State Opera from 1981 to 1989 he acquired an impressive opera repertoire. The successful performance of Edward Elgar’s unfinished opera The Spanish Lady in London in 1986 was followed by internationally renowned orchestras and opera houses in Europe and the USA as well as Israel and South Africa. In 2009 Mansur conducted the European premiere of Arvo Pärt’s Symphony No. 4 in Helsinki, followed by the world premiere of his composition Veni Creator in Poland in 2010. As chief conductor of the National Youth Philharmonic of Turkey he has conducted guest appearances at Young Euro Classic and led several bi-national projects, including the Young Euro Classic Festival Orchestra Turkey-Germany and the Armenian-Turkish Youth Orchestra. From 1998 to 2011 he was also chief conductor and artistic director of the Akbank Chamber Orchestra.
The Turkish musician Özgür Ünaldı pursues a double career as a pianist and composer. After studying initially in his homeland, he received a scholarship for the prestigious Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow. In 2019, Ünaldı won the second prize at the International Brahms Competition in Pörtschach, Austria. Since then, the pianist has appeared at many concert halls in Turkey and Europe; during one performance at the Süreyya Opera House in Istanbul in May 2025, he played only his own works, including the suite First Light, inspired by astronomy and astrophotography. He forms a regular duo with the violist Elena Ünaldı, and they teach together at the Conservatory in Valencia, Spain. He also made a name for himself with the Bosphorus Trio, with which he recorded four piano trios by Turkish composers for CD, among other works. Özgür Ünaldı holds a professorship in piano at the State Conservatory Bursa Uludag in Bursa in Western Turkey.
The 25-year-old Turkish composer Emre Şener is one of the most promising talents among the younger generation in his country. A graduate of London’s Royal Academy of Music, he is currently studying at the Juilliard School in New York, aided by scholarships from the Promising Turks Fund and the Igor Stravinsky Foundation. Born in Istanbul, Şener has already won several prizes at international competitions in Great Britain, Italy, Spain and the USA. His compositions have been performed by renowned New Music ensembles, such as the Ensemble Musikfabrik, Ensemble Dal Niente and the Riot Ensemble. His Viola Concerto was premiered by the Gedik Philharmonic at the Süreyya Opera House in Istanbul this past season. At the moment, he is composing new works for the Festival Radio France and the Lincoln Center in New York. Furthermore, Şener is the co-founder, artistic director and conductor of the London Contemporary Soloists, with whom he has given more than 30 world premieres during the past three years and undertaken two large concert tours.