This is Aytuğ Ülgen's conductor biography. His composer biography is on a separate page — click to view →
Aytuğ Ülgen is a Turkish conductor, composer, and musicologist who was awarded the 2015 Uğur Mumcu Art Award as "Conductor of the Year." Recognized for the rhetorical interpretations he brings to a broad repertoire spanning from the Baroque era to contemporary music, Ülgen has presented concerts, lectures, masterclasses, and recording projects in Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Estonia, Poland, Singapore, Japan, Australia, Argentina, and Northern Cyprus. He has also composed numerous award-winning large-scale stage works and film scores.
Having completed his studies in Opera and Symphony Conducting at the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory under Professors Leonid Nikolaev and Vladimir Ponkin, Ülgen founded the I.B.M. Symphony Orchestra and I.B.M. Chamber Opera in Russia and has collaborated with numerous international ensembles, including the Mosfilm Film Music Orchestras and the Stanislavski Theatre. Currently serving as a conductor with the Mersin State Opera and Ballet, he works regularly throughout Türkiye and abroad with the six opera houses of the Turkish State Opera and Ballet, and State Symphony Orchestras, as well as various private orchestras and cultural institutions. He is also widely recognized for his work as a composer, educator, and contributor to a broad range of cultural initiatives.
Awarded the prestigious Ugur Mumcu Art Prize as "Conductor of the Year" by the Contemporary Journalists Association in 2015 for his artistic excellence, Aytuğ Ülgen has been conducting his diverse and eclectic studies arraying a wide range of activities in a number of fields.
Having done numerous radio and television programs as a producer and consultant, both domestically and internationally, Ülgen has published over 200 articles, interviews, and writings, in addition to his translations from Latin, Ottoman, English, Russian, and Japanese. Known for his rhetorical interpretations spanning from the Baroque era to contemporary music, he has performed concerts, conferences, workshops, and album recordings in some of the most important festivals and venues in Russia, England, France, Spain, Estonia, Poland, Singapore, Japan, Australia, Argentina and Northern Cyprus besides his award-winning large-scale stage works, recordings, and film scores as a composer.
Ülgen has held positions such as General Music Director of the I.B.M. Symphony Orchestra and Conductor of the I.B.M. Chamber Opera, Guest Conductor and Artistic Consultant for Mosfilm Studios' Film Music Orchestras, and has worked with prestigious ensembles including the Ippolitov-Ivanov Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Youth Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of Moscow State Conservatory, Stanislavski Theatre, Liverpool Docks Opera, Meistersingers Chamber Opera & Consort Ensemble, and Opera Studio of Moscow Tchaikovsky State Conservatory, Estonian National Theatre, Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, and Vladivostok Symphonic Ensemble.
He studied Film and Television at Istanbul Bilgi University, Musicology at Hacettepe University State Conservatory, and Medical Deontology at the Faculty of Medicine of the same university. Studied harmony and counterpoint with composer Sami Hatipoğlu, orchestral conducting with Prof. Burak Tüzün, and piano with pianist Mehmet Okonşar. Completed his advanced studies in the Opera and Symphony Conducting Department of Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory, specializing in opera and symphony conducting with Russian State Artists Prof. Leonid Nikolaev and Prof. Vladimir Ponkin; orchestration, analysis, and score reading with composer Prof. Yuri Butsko and pursued Ph.D. studies in musicology under the supervision of Prof. Margarita Karatigina.
Having served as a principal conductor at the Ankara State Opera and Ballet, he taught harmony, counterpoint, musical form, theory, orchestration, and score reading at Mersin University State Conservatory where he held the position of the Head of the Composition and Orchestral Conducting Department, besides the Chair of the Theory Department. He actively initiated and participated in research projects, recordings, and concerts as a board member of the Nevit Kodallı Chamber Music Application and Research Center at the same institution.
Currently working as a conductor at Mersin State Opera and Ballet, Aytuğ Ülgen regularly collaborates with six opera houses under the Directorate General of State Opera and Ballet of the Republic of Türkiye and continues to work with state symphony orchestras, private orchestras and institutions, both domestically and internationally. He is a Board Member of the Moscow Liberal Arts Foundation and serves as a consultant on cultural funds at the European Union Funds Management Center.
Alongside his musical work, he is a licensed commercial airline pilot.