BAU Conservatory Opening Ceremony Held

The academic year and new campus opening of the Bahçeşehir University (BAU) Conservatory took place at the BAU Pera Campus. At the ceremony, master actor Rutkay Aziz, folk music artist Ümit Tokcan and pianist Gülsin Onay received "lifetime achievement awards".

The Bahçeşehir Pera opening ceremony was attended by Bahçeşehir Uğur Educational Institutions (BUEK) Chair Enver Yücel, BAU Board of Trustees Member and former minister Burhan Kara, BAU President Prof. Dr. Şirin Karadeniz, Bahçeşehir College Executive Board Chair Hüseyin Yücel, faculty members and students.

Before the opening, the guests toured the new building. The students presented special performances for the opening, including a jazz concert and dance and theater performances.

YÜCEL: "WE AIM TO BRING TÜRKİYE'S VOICE TO THE UNIVERSAL STAGE"

Stating that their goals are ambitious, Enver Yücel said: "We made sure that our students come from different provinces, from Yüksekova to Edirne, from Sinop to Antakya and from Konya to Giresun. Through interviews, we admitted students from all walks of life based on their talents. We aim to bring Türkiye's voice to the universal stage, and we will educate our students accordingly."

PROF. DR. KARADENİZ: "WE ARE BRINGING TOGETHER A MOSAIC OF CULTURE AND ART"

President Prof. Dr. Şirin Karadeniz said: "In the new academic year, we have reimagined the conservatory in a historic building in Pera. When we established this department, our dream was to present our music, art, culture and theater heritage to the world by drawing strength from the local and highlighting its values. At the same time, we wanted to draw on the world and adapt it to the local. Being in such a historic venue brings that dream beautifully to life. In the new academic period, with our integrated education program, our international network in different countries and our agreements with universities and art schools, we are bringing together a mosaic of culture and art."

"THERE WILL BE PART-TIME CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS"

Prof. Dr. Karadeniz said: "In the new academic year, people of all ages will be here receiving education, including our young students, our graduate students and participants in the certified part-time conservatory courses we offer to the public. All our venues will be open to both our students and our artists for performances. I can easily say that we are a center where people who are interested in art, who make it their profession and who are devoted to it come together, which is why we are incredibly excited today."

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS PRESENTED AT THE CEREMONY

Thanking the award-winning artists, Prof. Dr. Karadeniz noted that the three distinguished names also teach in the department. Prof. Dr. Karadeniz said: "They meet with our undergraduate and graduate students and share their experiences. These masters have dedicated their lives to art, and being with the students is a great joy for them. The students do not just acquire knowledge; they learn the stance of an artist. They see their patterns of behavior and their way of thinking. That is why I thank our artists who accepted the three awards."

ASSOC. PROF. DR. SEZGİN: "WE SET OUT WITH AN INNOVATIVE CONSERVATORY SPIRIT"

Stating that they are Türkiye's youngest conservatory, Director of the BAU Conservatory Department Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bülent Sezgin said: "We set out with an innovative conservatory spirit. We think this is very important because the idea of a non-conservative conservatory, and structuring today's arts education, which focuses particularly on digitalization, employment, projects and international relations, from the local to the universal in our country, is very valuable; we were founded on this philosophy. We continue to maintain strong relationships with our country's distinguished artists. That is why we are presenting lifetime achievement awards to Rutkay Aziz, Gülsin Onay and Ümit Tokcan."

SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR TALENTED STUDENTS

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sezgin said: "We have students in music and performing arts. We have also established a modern dance department. At the graduate level, we have advanced acting, voice and jazz programs. We strive to provide multidimensional, interdisciplinary education. We currently have 170 students. We aim to increase this number considerably in the coming years, but our priority is high-quality arts education. We want every student to benefit from this education, which is why we also support talented young people with our Muhsin Ertuğrul and Aşık Veysel scholarships."

Wishing the new academic year and campus every success, Hüseyin Yücel donated two works from his own art collection to the conservatory department. The paintings were received by BAU President Prof. Dr. Şirin Karadeniz and BAU Conservatory Director Aslıhan Umar.

Following the award ceremony, many artists, led by Gülsin Onay, gave performances.