Gülsen Yavuzkal

Gülsen Yavuzkal started her early music education with piano and choral music and graduated from Marmara University’s Music Department and further studied with Prof. Yıldız Dağdelen at the Istanbul State Conservatoire. She then continued to teach music and choir training in state and private schools as well as universities.

Upon her admission to the International Choir of the Foundation Vox Europae followed by an audition, she had the opportunity to study with Prof Fritz ter Wey and other leading chorus masters of Europe on choral conducting and training and gave concerts.

She studied choral conducting and training with Prof Rodney Eichenberger (USA), Wim van herk (Netherlands) and Szabó Dénes of the Cantemus Choral Institute in Hungary; children’s choir conducting with Elisenda Carrasco (Spain), Zimfira Poloz (Canada) and Hirvo Surva (Estonia); voice and breathing techniques in choral training with Panda Van Proosdij (Netherlands) and “choir in popular music” with Jonathan Rathbone, the music director and arranger of Swingle Singers. She conducted studies on Baroque and Renaissance period choral music and recorded a CD with her ensemble.

A member of the International Choir of the Foundation Vox Europae, Yavuzkal is the founding chorus master of Koralistanbul, Borusan Children’s Choir and International Children’s Peace Choir and continues her work in Turkey and abroad.