Choral Conductor
Burak Onur Erdem (b. 1986, Istanbul) has been Artistic Director of the Turkish State Choir (Devlet Çoksesli Korosu) since 2017 and is Vice-President of the International Federation for Choral Music (IFCM).
Under his direction the Turkish State Choir became the first ensemble from Türkiye to join TENSO, the European network of professional chamber choirs. He built a new choral programme for the choir, prepared its major symphonic works, and started education projects and Sing-Along concerts that bring amateur choirs and audiences together.
He founded Rezonans in 2010 around contemporary and Turkish choral music; the ensemble has won prizes at the international competitions in Cork, Arezzo, Varna and Marktoberdorf, sung at festivals in Hungary, Estonia and Georgia, and was named Choir of the Year in Türkiye in 2017.
- Turkish State Choir — Artistic Director2017–
- Rezonans — Founder & Conductor2010–
- Istanbul European Choir — Conductor2013–2017
- Guest appearances — Nederlands Kamerkoor, Kodály Choir Debrecen, Vokalwoche Niederösterreichongoing
He was the first Turkish musician elected to the board of the European Choral Association, and served as its Vice-President until 2024. He joined the IFCM board in 2018 as representative for Europe and has been Vice-President since 2023.
He was Festival Director of the World Symposium on Choral Music in Istanbul in 2023, chaired the music commission of Leading Voices, and has served on the music commissions of the Europa Cantat festivals. In 2012 he founded the Choral Culture Association, a platform for choirs in Türkiye, which has hosted international conferences, established the Turkish National Youth Choir and the annual Choral Marathon, and started training programmes for young conductors.
- International Federation for Choral Music — Vice-President2023–
- World Youth Choir — Artistic Advisor2023–
- World Symposium on Choral Music, Istanbul — Festival Director2022–2023
- European Choral Association — Vice-President2021–2024
- IFCM — Board Member2018–2023
- European Choral Association — Board Member2015–2021
- Choral Culture Association — Founding President2012–2026
He has served on the juries of competitions and festivals in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Germany and Italy, and at the final of the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing.
He founded the choral conducting master’s programme at Bilkent University and co-founded the Walter Strauss Choral Conducting Masterclass in Ankara. He has led concerts and masterclasses in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, Hungary, Estonia, Bulgaria and Greece.
- Deutscher Chorwettbewerb (German National Choral Competition), Leipzig — Jury2027
- Thailand Choral Festival, Bangkok — Jury2025
- Medan Choral Festival, Indonesia — Jury2025
- World Youth Choir & European Youth Choir auditions — Jury2020, 2025
- European Grand Prix for Choral Singing, Varna — Jury2024
- Singapore National Choral Competition — Jury2024
- International Choral Festival, Korean National Chorus, South Korea — Jury2024
- Japan National Choral Competition — Jury2023
- Fosco Corti International Choral Conducting Competition, Torino — Jury2022
- Italian National Choral Conductors Competition, Arezzo — Jury2022
- Guido d’Arezzo International Polyphonic Competition — Jury2018
- Bilkent University — Choral Conducting; founder of the master’s programme2024–Ongoing
- Walter Strauss Choral Conducting Masterclass, Ankara — Co-founder & Host2016–
- International Choral Conducting Summer School, Sing Ireland, Limerick — Tutor2025, 2026
- Italian Choral Conductors Academy (Accademia Corale Italiana) — Tutor2022–2026
- Choral Conducting Masterclass, Lisbon — Tutor2022
He completed postgraduate studies in choral conducting with Prof. Johannes Prinz at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz. He holds a doctorate in conducting and a master’s degree in music theory from the Centre for Advanced Studies in Music (MIAM) at Istanbul Technical University.
He graduated from Boğaziçi University in Political Science and International Relations with high honours and the Rector’s Prize, and from Deutsche Schule Istanbul. In international masterclasses he studied with Johannes Prinz, María Guinand, Frieder Bernius, Georg Grün, Volker Hempfling, Michael Gohl, Dénes Szabó and Anders Eby.