Mozarteum University accepts 13-year-old Turkish pianist

Beyazıt Şenbük - Ankara

İlyun Bürkev, who caught the attention of music authorities at an early age, has been accepted into the Mozarteum University of Salzburg Pre-College, one of the best music and drama schools in the world named after Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Bürkev passed the piano, solfege, theory and German stages and came first in the auditions to which students from all over the world apply; only 13 students are invited to the exam and just two can win.

The 13-year-old Bürkev, the first Turkish student to ace the audition organized by Mozarteum University of Salzburg Pre-College, will become the first pre-college student accepted by Pavel Gililov, the German pianist of Russian origin.

“I was very excited on the day of the exam, but after performing against the jury of 12 professors, I knew from the smiles on their faces that I won,” said Bürkev, adding that she also took German lessons for the audition.

Bürkev started part-time education at the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University State Conservatory when she was just 7 years old and advanced to full-time piano education at the age of 9.

She has won eight awards in international competitions during her 9-year piano history, which started at the age of 4.

“Before I was born, my mother wanted to take lessons and play the piano, so when I was born, there was a piano at home,” she said.

“When my mother saw my interest in piano, she started giving me piano lessons at the age of 4,” Bürkev stated, adding that it was her biggest dream to study at Mozarteum University.

Behind this success was teamwork in which they were involved as a family, said İlyun Bürkev’s father, businessman Doğan Bürkev.

“This is a true story of dedication. Her mother, Neşe Güler Bürkev, left her high-ranking job for our daughter’s musical talent and devoted all her time to İlyun,” he added.

A student of Burcu Aktaş Urgun from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, İlyun Bürkev also took regular lessons from state artist Gülsin Onay, who was lectured by Ahmet Adnan Saygun, known as the first state artist and music educator who died on Jan. 6, 1991, in Istanbul.

“She is truly an extraordinary talent. I always admire how a 13-year-old can be so mature and play the piano so well,” said Onay, who is contributing to the development of İlyun Bürkev with private lessons.

“We will have a world-class pianist. I wish her success on her journey,” she added.