Cem Mansur, who studied music at City University in London, Guildhall School of Music and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute, is a real musician who has dedicated himself to connecting to people through the heart-conquering atmosphere of watching a live concert. For this mission, Conductor Mansur frames extraordinary programs. At the same time he leads the National Youth Symphony Orchestra, consisting of 93 students from 10 different schools and sponsored by TAV Airports.

After 1985 you focused on your work abroad; you worked in Northern and Middle Europe, Spain, Mexico, Israel, South Africa and Russia... What did working in this many and different geographies change in you? Do you compare the music environment, audience and the opportunities the musicians have in those countries with the ones in Turkey?

CEM MANSUR: If the career of a musician develops in the way it is planned, the international dimension is included by necessity…I was leading the Oxford City Orchestra for eight years; still I am a guest conductor. But of course when I went abroad after leaving the Istanbul State Opera and the eight years in Oxford of course there were times I did comparisons. But it was not negative comparison all the time…There are many different systems, different levels of technique and various disciplines. I always learned some things from them. I realized in Turkey we are somewhere in the middle in this area, as in many other issues. We should not forget that we should not be afraid to compare ourselves with the highest international standards. Because if you work only in your country, in your subconscious you start to accept the facilities to be the best and lose the belief that you can be better. However it can be better than expected. When you work in places where “better” is the standard, you can do it. In this way it is good to compare. I was mainly abroad between ’85 and ’97, now I am more in Turkey; in fact as a musician this is a more satisfying period for me… Of course it is very joyous to conduct in very good concert halls, especially in programs abroad where I have no administrative responsibility. But despite how I feel as a musician I can make meaningful contributions here in Turkey… This discipline is thought of as a desire to become western; but it works very well in societies that define themselves as eastern. In Europe, they are used to many things, but in places like Turkey you can observe the force of universal music.

You were the art director and conductor of the first International Children’s Symphony Orchestra in Turkey, established in 2004. This was under the aegis of the Bursa Philharmonic Association project, which was supported mainly by the European Union. This orchestra was set up through the participation of 42 children between the ages of 11-16… Later you established the National Youth Symphony Orchestra and you are still the conductor. What kind of experience it is to work with children and youngsters?

CEM MANSUR: It is of course very fun to work with children… The National Youth Symphony Orchestra (UGSO) is the most pleasurable thing is in my life at the moment …This orchestra is open to college students and there is very advanced technique. One says “Wow, what more can this work be in Turkey?” seeing so many young musicians play this well. But after school there is clumsiness, especially in the government system in Turkey; the performances of the children of ages 18-19 are not at the point that needs to be reached after 10 years. This is very sad…

Probably that enthusiasm and excitement is lost within time…

CEM MANSUR: In professionalism that enthusiasm and excitement have to be protected as this is a job and people do it to earn their living. This may cause us to forget why we chose music as a job and even the fact that we cannot do any other job. In Turkey government institutions play a great role in this as they are noncompetitive and stationary. Rarely, very good orchestras come onto the scene. Still a lack of competition is the greatest enemy of music.

What is the program of National Youth Symphony Orchestra next term?

CEM MANSUR: If we can gather everyone during the semester vacation, we are planning to give a couple more concerts with the 2009 staff. This orchestra is renewed every year through an examination. Our aim is to give everyone equal opportunity to obtain this experience. Thus, the roster changes by fifty percent every year.

How are they selected?

CEM MANSUR: Conservatory students who want to join the orchestra take an examination and give a short audition. During the winter we will select the orchestra for the summer of 2010. Next summer we will have a 15 day camp at Sabanci University and we will give couple of concerts. We will have interesting, entertaining seminars open to the public called Democracy Laboratory, where we will discuss what can be learned from the workings of the orchestra. Later, we will have a long European tour beginning in Germany and ending in Italy. This is very important for the young people as it will be a valuable experience which will encourage excellence by playing in the most important European countries, in the best concert halls and for audiences who are used to the best.

The National Youth Symphony Orchestra concert you conducted at Topkapi Palace in August of 2009 was a target of sabotage, such as what happened to Idil Biret. Did these provocations have any negative effects?

CEM MANSUR: There were people, especially from the music community, who thought that these young musicians need to be supported under any condition. But there may have been people who would not come out of fear. Fear is very understandable in a situation such as this… However I am very glad; the people who caused the incidents at the Idil Biret concert are being sued despite the public apology… Because people were threatened in a public area; there should be a provision for this in the Turkish Criminal Code… It would be horrifying to leave violence such as this unpunished in Turkey. Let’s see how this case will result.

What is your opinion of music education in Turkey?

CEM MANSUR: One of our aims in establishing the National Youth Symphony Orchestra is to push young people to think about what it means to be a musician before being a professional…In our conservatories, technically, instrumental education is very good. But when we ask “Why do this job?”, there are very few who know the answer. We may contribute to their education by thinking about this subject, believing that they may have a role in the society as a musician.

When did you realize this about yourself?

CEM MANSUR: I started music at a very late age, when I was 19 years old. For this reason I already knew my concern and why I wanted to play music at that age. Nobody headed me to music; I am not a very good example as I decided to be a musician when I started to think about myself. I was preparing to receive engineering education, but only because I didn’t know what else to do. I was weak and uninterested in technical and mathematical subjects, but I could think analytically in music. I was very bad in mathematics at school, but I can spend days to understand how a piece was constructed musically. It is said that musicians understand mathematics very well. However, it is not that simple since music is constructed mathematically but it is in fact in abstract form…I am not interested in mathematics but I can crack my head for months to solve how a composer connected two lines.

Did anything happen to make you feel the peaceful power of music and witness this power?

CEM MANSUR: I have witnessed this power both in Turkey and in other places. For instance, in Venezuela a miracle happened little by little over 30-35 years. We can observe a violence addicted kid in a slum become a civilized, wonderful person through music. In South Africa there was a multi-race youth festival that I conducted and I witnessed this there as well. I met children in trouble with the police, family and school until they took violin lessons. During the Anatolian concerts of the Akbank Chamber Orchestra you can see how music is shared and sharing is made possible through live music. There are similar examples in Istanbul; you see how easy it is to reach people who are used to traditional repertoire through extraordinary music. There are so many cases like this… Mehmet Baki, an architect, started a music education system in a school in Edirnekapi through his own means. As a citizen believing in the power of music he convinced the school administration and founded a music school in an unused coal shed. Here teachers gave accordion and solfege lessons. Soon they will be teaeching string instruments. Now two music buildings with concert halls have been built behind the Kariye Museum for them… I had a conversation with these 200 kids… Kids from disadvantaged social groups between the ages of 7-12…I have never met kids with that much self esteem and responsibility, with whom you can chat, like these kids who took two years of music lessons in Turkey; regardless of the social class. You know where they came from and their lives before starting music lessons; they are all brilliant kids…And there are people who try to accomplish this through their own initiative in Turkey. DeutscheBank recently praised this project.

Mansur emphasizes that the students are not treated as kids during the rehearsals: “I am telling the youngsters, ‘This is not a student orchestra; you will not be treated as kids.’ This is an orchestra in which all the staff are students. Meaning you will play the most advanced orchestra pieces at high quality international competition level. It may sound too pretentious, but we are trying to accomplish work at the most advanced level. Works like Francesca da Rimini and Symphonic Poetry of Tchaikovsky, Alborada del Gracioso of Ravel are the most difficult works in orchestra literature. BBC Symphony Orchestra is also trying to play these. I say this on the first day: ‘Here I will do everything like I do it when conducting the London Royalty Philharmonic Orchestra. You will take responsibility and respond to it accordingly.’ Naturally this motivates completely different responsibility and self respect.”

Last year TAV Airports Holding was one of the sponsors of the National Youth Symphony Orchestra which is administered through sponsorships.

You started to work with the 2010 Istanbul European Capital of Culture Action Committee again. Isn’t that right?

CEM MANSUR: I had resigned from being the music director for about a year. I didn’t agree with the administration about the direction the music was taking; on the other hand, I had the responsibility but no authorization. At the moment I am still the advisor for some projects. Musically speaking, to wait too long to do something good, meaningful and everlasting is to waste time with the wrong people and the wrong system. However, next month we will start a music education program; including seminars for music teachers in towns and explanatory concerts for children. In my opinion the more of this that is done the better.

In your opinion is there a missionary side of playing music?

CEM MANSUR: Yes there is and there should be always... I see myself on duty concerning various issues. Music is an incredible learning tool. First of all, music helps to unite the physical existence with the intellectual world in a perfect way. It is the only tool to remind us what gorgeous creatures we are capable of being in both mind and body… Through music one learns balance and proportion, listening to the other’s voice. It shows that the one shouting the most is not always the right one. We aim to demonstrate this at the democracy laboratory. Besides it is a good way to learn abstract thinking and self expression… Playing music reminds us that there are deeper things to share beyond words… In addition, listening to live music is the key of perceiving time and living a meaningful life. Because the material of music is time; the same is true of our lives. The strongest metaphor of seizing every moment of life is listening to live music. Through music one learns history, philosophy, geography. Physics is another material of music as the voice is the vibration of air. It is not a coincidence that music is connects all people living on earth. Even soccer is not as uniting; probably there are very few people who do not have music in their lives… Music is the most common denominator…

There are many programs you designed for Akbank Room Orchestra; “Bach, Jazz and Tulip Age’, “Alla Turca”, “1789/ The Music of Akl-I Selim (common sense)”, “Melodies”… Did these programs create unusual interest?

CEM MANSUR: I think they did because Akbank Room Orchestra proves there is extraordinary music in Turkey beyond what we normally hear… I believe a concert should have a theme and it should communicate something. It should perpetuate something that cannot be shared by listening to a CD at home. You open a door to listening to more challenging music when combining an extraordinary piece with a well-known piece. As either there is a common melody, subject and philosophical point with the other or perhaps the friendship of the two composers. Then people listen to something beyond an abstract music piece in which nobody bothers to tell them anything...

Do you have a dream, a goal you wish to realize in the coming years?

CEM MANSUR: First of all I hope for the National Youth Symphony to get the necessary support and realize its potential. This kind of support is very crucial, both to continue the education and the prestige of Turkey. My target to improve this…