Conductor gets gold music medal

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

Orchestra conductor Gürer Aykal (L) poses with Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay at the ceremony organized by the Sevda-Cenap And Foundation.

Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay presented the Sevda-Cenap And Music Foundation gold medal to orchestra conductor Gürer Aykal in a ceremony last night at the National Education Ministry Şura Hall in Ankara.

The award has been presented annually since 1989 to those who have made significant contributions to philharmonic music.

Günay commended Aykal for his international success.

He also spoke about plans to recruit for symphonic orchestras in eastern Turkey. “We have six state symphonic orchestras, but there are none east of Ankara. We opened a state opera and ballet in the Black Sea province of Samsun two years ago, and it is popular. One of the next goals is to form a symphonic orchestra east of Ankara in the next two years. I believe these efforts will be successful.”
Günay also said the symphony orchestra building, the foundation of which was laid in the middle of the 1990s, was finished. “I hope that on the 90th anniversary of the Republic, Oct. 23, 2013, we will organize a concert in our new symphony building. Maybe Aykal will conduct this concert.”

Aykal said he lived for music and orchestra. “In my opinion, the number of orchestras in a country shows its status among civilized countries.”

Following the award ceremony, the Bilkent Symphonic Orchestra performed a concert under the baton of Işın Metin.