Choral Conductor
Burak Onur Erdem (b. 1986, Istanbul) is Artistic Director of the Turkish State Choir and President of the International Federation for Choral Music (IFCM).
As Artistic Director of the Turkish State Choir he has built a new choral programme, conducted numerous world premieres and prepared the choir’s major symphonic works. He has also established education and outreach projects, among them Sing-Along concerts that bring amateur choirs and audiences together to sing. During his term the choir was admitted to TENSO, the European network of professional chamber choirs.
In 2010 he founded Rezonans, a professional vocal ensemble based in Istanbul whose repertoire is centred on contemporary and Turkish choral music. The ensemble has won prizes at 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 joined the IFCM board in 2018 as representative for Europe, became Vice-President in 2023 and was elected President in 2026. He was the first Turkish musician elected to the board of the European Choral Association, where he served as Vice-President until 2024.
He was Festival Director of the World Symposium on Choral Music 2023 in Istanbul, chaired the Music Commission of the Leading Voices festival 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 that has hosted international conferences, founded the Turkish National Youth Choir, established the annual Choral Marathon and started training programmes for young conductors.
- International Federation for Choral Music — President2026–
- IFCM — Vice-President2023–2026
- World Youth Choir — Artistic Advisor2023–2026
- 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 been a jury member at choral competitions and festivals in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Germany and Italy, and at the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing.
He founded the choral conducting master’s programme at Bilkent University, where he teaches, 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 — Jury2024
- Singapore National Choral Competition — Jury2024
- Japan National Choral Competition — Jury2023
- 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 was educated at the Deutsche Schule Istanbul and graduated from Boğaziçi University in Political Science and International Relations with high honours and the Rector’s Prize.
He holds a master’s degree in music theory and a doctorate in conducting from the Centre for Advanced Studies in Music (MIAM) at Istanbul Technical University, and completed postgraduate studies in choral conducting with Prof. Johannes Prinz at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz. In international masterclasses he has worked with María Guinand, Frieder Bernius, Georg Grün, Volker Hempfling, Michael Gohl, Dénes Szabó and Anders Eby, among others.