TSKB's Special Composition for The 100th Annivesary of The Republic
To date, TSKB has touched the lives of 90 musicians with the "Women Stars of Tomorrow: Young Women Musicians Education Support Fund", launched in 2018 in cooperation with IKSV to support equal opportunity in the arts. The composition by Cem Esen, commissioned by TSKB to support the productions of young composers in the 100th anniversary of the Republic, had its world premiere at Süreyya Opera on June 11. The piece, composed for piano and cello, was performed by the musicians eligible to benefit from the Women Stars of Tomorrow Education Fund in 2023. TSKB CEO Murat Bilgiç stated: "For many years, we have been implementing social responsibility projects in many focus areas such as culture, arts, environment and women's employment. We believe the development of culture and arts to be one of the most important elements of social development and welfare. As a bank established in the planned development period of the young republic, we wanted to present a work of art to our country on our Republic's 100th anniversary."
Creating value for Türkiye's economic, environmental and social development for 73 years, TSKB (Industrial Development Bank of Türkiye) continues to support Türkiye's cultural development. Sponsoring concerts at the Istanbul Music Festival organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV) since 1990, the Bank launched the "Women Stars of Tomorrow: Young Women Musicians Education Support Fund", launched in 2018 in collaboration with IKSV. The fund supports the overseas education of young women musicians who will represent Türkiye on international stages. The Women Stars of Tomorrow project, which has impacted the lives of 90 young musicians to date, grows stronger every year with the support of the festival audience. The outstanding young musicians who benefit from the Young Women Musicians Support Fund advance their international careers in the fields of instruments, singing and conducting, and become Türkiye's cultural ambassadors with their performances on stages all over the world.
This year, TSKB took the Women Stars of Tomorrow project one step further and commissioned a composition to contribute to Türkiye's classical music canon and to support the production of works by young musicians. The world premiere of the composition titled "A Piece to Joy", composed for Türkiye by young musician Cem Esen with the support of IKSV and TSKB in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of our Republic, took place on Sunday, June 11 at Süreyya Opera. The piece, composed for piano and cello, was performed by young musicians who were eligible to benefit from the Women Stars of Tomorrow fund in 2023.
At the Women Stars of Tomorrow concert, accomplished violinist Veriko Tchumburidze shared the stage with young musicians as the guest of honor.
TSKB CEO Murat Bilgiç stated: "As a bank that has been supporting producers for 73 years, we wanted to present a work of art to our country on the 100th anniversary of our Republic."
Underscoring the importance of the 100th anniversary of the Republic for TSKB, TSKB CEO Murat Bilgiç noted: "As a bank established in the planned development period of the young republic, we are proud to have supported the economic, social and cultural development of our country for 73 years. For many years, we have been implementing social responsibility projects in many focus areas such as culture, arts, environment and women's employment. We believe the development of culture and arts to be one of the most important elements of social development and welfare. As of 2018, we are proud to have touched the lives of 90 gifted young female musicians with the Women Stars of Tomorrow Education Support Fund, which we launched as part of the Istanbul Music Festival. This year, we had the opportunity to offer our contribution to 21 musicians. As you know, we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of our Republic. We wanted to crown this meaningful anniversary with a special composition that we can bequeath to future generations. We dreamed that our composition would be written by a successful young musician and performed by the Women Stars of Tomorrow. Now, as a big family consisting of TSKB, IKSV and our young musicians, we are delighted to present this precious work of art to Türkiye."
Who is Cem Esen:
Young musician Cem Esen, who composed this special piece for the 100th anniversary of the Republic, started playing piano with Can Çoker at Çukurova State Conservatory. Later, he became a student of Prof. Metin Ülkü at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Istanbul State Conservatory. He has been studying since 2015 with Roland Krüger at Hannover Hochschule für Musik in Germany and has given many concerts on stages both in Türkiye and abroad. Cem Esen is also working on his compositions concurrently and has over 100 compositions and 36 Opus numbered works released so far.
Cem Esen commented on the piece: "It was a great honor to work on this piece with TSKB, one of Türkiye's most well-established institutions with a very important mission for the sustainable development of our country, in commemoration of our republic's 100th anniversary, and to take share the stage with the Women Stars of Tomorrow, a most valuable project by TSKB realized in cooperation with IKSV."
About Women Stars of Tomorrow - Education Support Fund:
As part of Istanbul Music Festival, TSKB supports the advancement of the careers of gifted young female musicians in the fields of instruments, singing and conducting in the international arena with the funding it provides to support equal opportunities in the arts. Women musicians who have been accepted to a music school abroad at the undergraduate or graduate level, who continue their music education abroad, or who need support for participation in events such as master classes, orchestra auditions, international competitions, or instrument purchases that will boost their career development can apply to this fund.
90 young female musicians, including 21 this year, who have been granted the "Women Stars of Tomorrow" fund so far, represent our country on the world stage and contribute to our cultural development.
Women Stars of Tomorrow - 2023 Winners:
1. NAZ İREM TÜRKMEN violin
2. CEREN ALTINEL flute
3. GÖKÇE AKKOYUNLU double bass
4. DEFNE ERDEM piano
5. CEYLAN ÖLMEZ violin
6. NİHAN ULUTAN piano
7. AYBEN SEVER flute
8. GİZEM GÜLLÜ viola
9. EDA ÖNCÜL piano
10. İLAYDA GÜLÜMSER harp
11. ECE ATAÇ piano
12. BESTE ESER piano
13. MERCAN ALDEMİR flute
14. ÇAĞLA ULUSEV viola
15. EYLÜL SÜMBÜL piano
16. İDİL OLĞAR violin
17. DEFNE KÜKÜRT violin
18. İPEK SANEM KARALİ piano
19. İDİL NAZ ALICI piano
20. ALARA HEKİMOĞLU violin
21. PERLA ALARA KURŞUN piano
