Istanbul International Summer Music Academy at BAU Campus: A Five-Day Music Meeting from Education to Stage Performance

The Istanbul International Summer Music Academy, organised for the second time by the Bahçeşehir University Conservatory, brought together artists, educators, and young musicians from different countries in Istanbul between 12 and 16 August 2026. The five-day training and performance programme culminated in a Gala Concert held at Bahçeşehir University’s Beşiktaş campus. The Flute Orchestra, consisting of the academy instructors and participating artists, along with soloists, presented various works from the flute repertoire to the audience in the final concert.

The academy's faculty included Prof. Sibel Pensel from the Nice Conservatory in France, Prof. Dr Hyun Sook Tekin from the Bahçeşehir University Conservatory, Leo Pensel from the Geneva Conservatory in Switzerland, solo flutist Jocelyn Aubrun from the Lyon State Orchestra, solo flutist and conductor Gareth McLearnon from the Ireland Heritage Orchestra, and Zeynep Bölük. During the five-day programme, young musicians had the opportunity to work with different artists and educators, with daytime training sessions being complemented by evening concerts. There was participation in the programme from Turkey as well as Europe and the Far East.

The Gala Concert at the academy's finale formed a closing programme where the work carried out during the training process met with stage performance. Some pieces, including overture arrangements by Koeluch and Offenbach, were performed for the first time in Turkey at the concert. One of the Koeluch pieces in the programme, originally written for four-hand piano and symphonic orchestra, was adapted for a flute orchestra and brought to the stage. This selection of repertoire also highlighted the academy programme's aspect of combining educational studies with new arrangements and performance experiences.

The continuation of the Istanbul International Summer Music Academy in its second year is also important in terms of the continuity of the activities developed by the Bahçeşehir University Conservatory with international artists and educators. Within the scope of the academy, the fact that students can work directly with professionals from different countries allows the training process to be supported by rehearsal and concert experiences, rather than remaining solely in a classroom environment. Conducting training and stage work together during the five-day programme opened up space for young musicians to experience academic development and performance practice within the same process.

BAU Campus positions art and culture alongside education and research fields as components of the campus experience. The realisation of the Gala Concert of the Istanbul International Summer Music Academy at the campus in Beşiktaş formed one of the current examples of this structure. Bringing together musicians and educators from different countries in the same programme, the academy added an international music gathering to campus life by concluding the five-day training process with a stage experience open to the audience.