“I felt the bright light of M.Kemal Ataturk, founder of our country at Yaşar University at the first moment I steped in. Working with talented young students, playing and sharing music with the young audience gave me so much happiness and pride… When i practice at music department for my concert, I heard nice voices and enthusiastic practices, that made me to hope nice things from future about music in our counrty. I wish for those young artists the most bright successes in future and I wish to come again at Yaşar University in near future.”
Gülsin Onay
Concert Pianist
Istanbul,Turkey
“In recent years I followed the the development of Yaşar Univesity’s Music department from my dear friend and very talented flutist and teacherSonat Sözer. In the morning I made a good masterclass with three students. The level of the students are same with Turkish conservatory students and that made me happy.
Pınar Dinçer and Aylin Aybek’s warm interest combined with their companiments in the spectacular concert that evening. Playing with Hakan Şensoy, an important conductor whom i always played with him in different orchestras, with Yaşar Chamber Orchestra is an honour for me and made me very happy. Your chamber orchestra which plays very well is also well entegrated with Mr. Şensoy.
I wish the progressive development of your department will grow day by day. I want you to that i am always at your service.”
Bülent Evcil
Flute Proffessor
Istanbul Technical University State Conservatory
Istanbul,Turkey
“Two years ago, I’ve been invited by Professor Payam Susanni to propose to several students from Yasar University a master-class consacrated to the interprétation for the piano répertoire.
The Level of the students was very good And the pieces were very well prepared.
In this international Week at Yasar University, I gave also a lecture about temporality And immanence of the writing in western Music.”
Christophe Simonet
Piano Proffesor
Pole Superieur Nord Pas De Calais
Lille, France
“At Yasar University I was fine: a modern university, very functional and well organized, where the human aspect has always been present, combined with the professional.
I got the impression that this young university has a great desire to grow and hope to return again in the near future!”
Costantino Catena
Piano Proffesor
Conservatorio di Musica “D.Cimarosa” di Avellino
Avellino, Italy
“When I arrived to Yaşar I was impressed of the concept in style and the solutions of how a University today can be build.
The “California” styled park with a sounding soundscape by loudspeakers in a very open modern architecture. My impression this was a place were the students easily can get in contact and where art can stay in centre.”
Staffan Mossenmark
Composer,Performative Sound Artist
Academy of Music and Drama,
Gothenburg, Sweden
“I’m Aurora Sabia, I’m an Italian pianist from Trieste. During the academic year 2011/12 I worked as a piano accompanist for almost 6 months at the Music Department of the Yasar University of Izmir, thanks to the European Leonardo da Vinci’s Program. It was a great experience! It made me grow as a pianist and as a person, ’cause I had the chance to meet beautiful and friendly people of different cultures and to play with very good young musicians.. I really enjoyed my stay there! If I could, I’d do it again and again.”
Aurora Sabia
Da Vinci WWM Programme Intern in Piano
Trieste,Italy
“Yasar University is clearly a vibrant, dynamic place, and it has a great atmosphere. You notice that as soon as you get off the metro and step inside this remarkable, compact campus. It’s quite obvious that people are there to work and to get things done, but with smiles on their faces and with an open and frankly international approach. Well done, Yasar: it’s a pleasure doing business with you!”
Hugh Ward-Perkins
Director
Conservatorio di Musica “E.F.Dall’Abaco”
Verona,Italy
“I have now had the pleasure of visiting Yaşar University twice, and on both occasions I have been struck not only by the wonderful welcome and generous hospitality I have been shown, but also by the genuine warmth and enthusiasm of everyone – staff and students- with whom I have worked.
In July 2012 I had the pleasure of accompanying five of my students to attend the first ‘Project Muse’ Intensive Project at Yaşar University, where we were joined by staff and students from 9 other institutions across Europe for a truly inspiring and enriching two weeks of learning, discussion and exchange of ideas. The project was expertly organised and led by Payam Susanni, Erasmus Coordinator for Music Department and Gökay Özerim, European Expert in the EU Office, and we enjoyed two, very intensive, weeks of lectures, concerts, workshops and social events. For all of us, staff and students alike, it was a project during which we not only learnt so much from such a variety of talented musicians and academics, but also as importantly, forged life-long friendships and institutional partnerships on which we continue to build. I know that for my students this was a life-changing experience which they will not forget, and they continue to stay in touch with the friends they made in Izmir.
I was thrilled to be invited back to participate in Yaşar University’s European Week in May 2013 as part of the the Erasmus staff mobility programme. It was wonderful to be able to work and socialise with musician colleagues from across Europe once again and to forge new connections. Once again, this week was organised with real style and efficiency and once again the genuinely warm welcome we received was wonderful. On this visit I was fortunate to be able to work with some of the voice students from the music department at Yaşar and found them to be delightful – really open to new ideas and full of wonderful enthusiasm.
Thank you so much for these wonderful experiences and I look forward to a long and fruitful partnership in the years to come!”
Amanda Smallbone
Voice Proffesor
University of Winchester, England
“At Yasar University I was able to gain both a cultural and human experience that has allowed me to develop my artistic and musical knowledge. I was able to pass on that knowledge which in turn helped students in their development. I worked in vocal and instrumental chamber music which presented to me a professional reality that has enriched my feelings and my personality. I was supported by competent personnel whose artistry went beyond the purely scholastic necessities to teach me new values of friendship and humanity. Yaşar has enriched my existence. The work I did there has revealed new professional opportunities for the development of my own career. I will never forget my Yaşar experience.”
Carla Orbinati
Erasmus Intern in Piano
Napoli, Italy
“My experience here in Izmir has been entirely positive. Even if for a short time I had my first opportunity to experience teaching. I was supported by excellent teachers from whom I received much useful advice. I grew a lot from the artistic point of view because I also had the opportunity to give several public performances. One month before the end of my placement, I find myself eager to undertake new projects with the students and faculty of Yaşar.”
Federica Pizzuti
Erasmus Intern in Voice
Cosenza, Italy
“My experience at Yasar has never been anything less than spectacular, whether I was involved with solo concerts, workshops, meeting with the faculty or having dinner with the President of the school”
I look forward to many more pleasant times with the Yasar family.
Traveling to Turkey and going to Yasar and working with students, collegues and administration is always a very warm, pleasant and artistically fulfilling venture for me.”
Howard Curtis
Jazz Drums Proffesor
University of Music and Performing Arts
Graz, Austria
“I attended the International Week in 2012 and received a very warm welcome from all of the staff. We were very well taken care of. I personally was escorted by some students to visit the city. I would recommend Yasar to anyone wishing to go on a student mobility experience.”
Nancy Greene
International Relations Coordinator
Conservatorio di Musica di Perugia
Perugia, Italy
“I was at Yasar University in November last year. It was a very nice experience for me mostly because of the extraordinary colleagues I worked with and the friendship that we developed that made me feel at home from the very start. Also, it was the opportunity to meet young pianists – and composers too with great talent and that is always a pleasure.
Walking around the campus, under the palm trees, the atmosphere is very pleasant. They also have a very nice concert hall – I enjoyed playing there very much.
Everybody is managing the whole music department with great passion and when you are there you cannot help feeling the positive energy that comes from their work and enthusiasm.
Since I am back I have been thinking at when I can go there again.”
Pier Francesco Forlenza
Piano Proffessor
Conservatorio di Como
Como, Italia
“My teaching experience at Yasar University in March of 2012 was exciting because I experienced a really nice musical environment in a city unknown to me until then.
From the very first contact with the Erasmus coordinator Payam Susanni, all relations with the institution were excellent.
I received an exciting proposal to appear as soloist with the orchestra of the University and with the quartet of the same institution. It was a wonderful night of which I treasure an intense memory.
On that occasion I performed the Concerto for guitar by Boris Asafiev, excellently directed by Russian cellist Alexander Rudin and performed a quintet by Luigi Boccherini.
The lessons with the students of the Institute took place over the period 4 days and the well prepared students, all proved collaborative and interested.
The University is both modern and well equipped. It has many sites for social interaction and relaxation, and is architecturally well distributed and well organized.
The city of Izmir also offers lots of entertainment, culture and history and its citizens always extend a warm and friendly welcome.”
Francesco Diodovich
Guitar Proffesor
Conservatorio di Bari
Bari, Italia
“I can say that my experience in Izmir Yasar University was very good. I have seen very professionalism in the collegue of the Music departement, in the persons of M Payam Gul Susanni, M Paolo Susanni and the others collegues musicians.The Music Departement was effective and accurate to organize the masterclass lessons and to organize the concert in the beautiful theater of the University (with the audio and video technicians very competent) Accurate and kind also the employees secretarial office.
I think that the projects of the Music Departement are very interesting and useful at first for the students and for an interchange with other international Music University; I hope to have a new invitation to return in the next future.”
Antonino Maddonni
Guitar Proffessor
Music Conservatory “Nino Rota” Monopoli
Monopoli, Italy
“I visited Yasar University in March 2013 for the First International Music Conference, organized and hosted by Professor Paolo Susanni from the Music Department. I was extremely impressed with the professionalism, interest in advanced scholarship, and the high level of education provided to students at Yasar. The fact that performance and scholarship are integrated speaks to the high quality of music studies at Yasar.”
Nico Schüler,Ph.D.
Theory Proffesor
Texas State University Music Department
Texas, USA
“From the 20th to the 25th of May 2013, thanks to the “Mobility for Teaching” in the frame of the Erasmus Program, I’ve been invited to give a Concert and a Flute Masterclass in the Yasar University in Izmir.
The University is modern and efficient. It is the mirror of the atmosphere one can perceive now in Turkey: a Nation with a high growth, investing on education in all fields, as you can notice from all the new buildings the University has built in the campus area.
In particular, from my Artistic and Musical view point, I’ve met there students and teachers really motivated and wanting to enlarge their experiences, in order to give to themselves the best chances for their own future.
Finally I was very satisfied and enthusiast for this experience as it perfectly fullfilled the purposes and the aims of the Eramus Program.”
Angelo Ragno
Flute Proffesor
Conservatorio N. Rota di Monopoli
Monopoli, Italy
“Invitation of the highly valued and overactive Mrs Payam Gul Susanni, to be involved in the European international week of Izmir University (Spring 2013) This is indeed a high-level organization that enables visitors to share their knowledge with students of the University.The level is very good and the colleagues in a very high-level.I had the opportunity to attend Mr.Paolo Susanni classes and I was impresed.
I hope that the University will continue to organize the event with even greater success and I will be glad to offer my help in anyway, as I am also very sensitive in the relationship of the history between the two cities of Izmir and Thessaloniki.
Ι would like to congratulate Mrs. Susanni for the effort and also the Director of the music department for this great event, which keeps active the interest of teachers and the students with such special guests and warm hospitality.
With my warmest regards.”
Erato Alakiozidou
Concert Pianist, Director of MCT/ Synthermia International Music Festival/ Idee Fixe Ensemble/ Int.Coord.of SCT.
Greece
“A young and dynamic place, open to dialogue and welcoming in a country rich in history, culture and human warmth. A stimulating meeting place of exchange of experiences and knowledge. Yasar University means this to me.”
Paolo Scarnecchia
Music History Proffesor
Italy
“First of all I would like to express my thankfulness to give me the opportunity to make a Workshop at your University.
I was really excited because I’m studying and working very hard to become a full musician, not only a good lutenist but also a musicologist, so I hope that everybody liked my workshop.
In the other way I’m very happy that in Turkey and Izmir, with precision, on your University there is interest for this beautiful music. I think that is very important to give space for this, still particular, renaissance and baroque music. With this contribution, Turkish culture will grove up and it’s important element for all culture.
I hope that in near future we’ll begin to collaborate and I hope to have an opportunity to contribute my passion and knowledge for your university.”
Diego Leveric
Lut&Theorbo Artist
Croatia
“In July 2012 I went to Yasar University as Staff Training Mobility from Monopoli Conservatoire.
During my stay there it was being held a MUSE Intensive Project, attended among others by teachers and students from Monopoly Conservatoire (my school at the time).
Yasar University’s Erasmus representatives welcomed me with great helpfulness allowing me to understand how their institution works for what concerns musical disciplines, in particular they allowed me to participate in the Keyboard Instruments Department activities.
Obviously, during my experience in staff training, I was able to follow the development of the MUSE project, in which my conservatoire was involved with lectures from fellow teacher Paolo Scarnecchia on the subject “Orientalism and Turkeyries” and with five students participating in learning groups. The experience proved of the highest cultural interest, students interacted vividly with other kids coming all over from European institutions; Yasar’s organization was impeccable and the project’s final reports have been of great musical interest, highlighting the result that the project had set for itself.
I also had the chance to deepen administrative and didactic methodologies of Yasar so that we can implement the future possibilities of cultural exchanges with Turkey’s schools and Yasar in particular.
Eventually, my opinion on the Yasar experience is absolutely positive!”
Gemma Dibattista
Piano Proffessor
Conservatorio di Bari
Bari, İtaly
“A young and dynamic place, open to dialogue and welcoming in a country rich in history, culture and human warmth.
A stimulating meeting place of exchange of experiences and knowledge.
Yasar University means this to me.”
Paolo Scarnecchia
Music History Proffesor
Italy
I’ve spent the last five months in Izmir at Yasar University, as a student in the Jazz department. I did this instead of my fifth semester at my home institution, at the Royal Academy of Music – Aalborg, as an IM (Individual Musician) student. During my stay, three music department teachers have been key persons of my stay, as a teacher or as someone to help me figuring everything out in my new life in Turkey. As a foreign student at a new school, with another way of doing things than you’re used too, can be very confusing. Those people are Payam Gul Susanni, Emre Kartari and Genco Ari.
First of all, as a Danish person, Turkey is a very different and complicated! And a jazz department runned by jazz musicians is the perfect recipe for chaos! It’s important to try something new, that’s why i came here, but i also needed someone to help me through. So Payam, the School’s Erasmus Coordinator have played a very important role in my life the last five months, she has been a huge support.
Emre Kartari. A great drummer, a great teacher and a great friend! Emre has been the teacher i’ve spent the most time with in Turkey. He has been a very good teacher for me and i’m sad that i only had five months with this guy.
In my private drum classes, we worked on a lot of different things, mostly teknique and guidance in my career as a professional drummer. With him i’ve learned a lot of things about how i want to live my life as a musician.
Emre has been really nice to me while i have been here, and i really see him as much as my friend as my teacher. He helped me by arranging a goodbye concert with me, which meant a lot to me.
When i see Emre’s drum students i see a lot of drummers who is extremely skilled, considering how long they have been playing. I was very surprised and fascinated by that! For me that can only be accomplished by serious students and a great teacher!
In Denmark it would be expected for the teacher to compensate for a that many cancelled lessons, and if not the teacher would be able to do compensate, it would be expected that the school compensated the students missed lessons, by giving him the same amount of lessons with another teacher.
All by all i’m thankful that i got the possibility of doing this! I would never expect a place to be perfect, neither would Denmark be. I have learned a lot and i have grown a lot as a person. And i have had great people around me almost all the time. I would never trade this experience away for anything!
Jakob Lundbye,
Jazz Drum Student
Royal Academy of Music, Aalborg- Denmark
About Master Class of Bassoon: the student was very interested and motivated, some of them were very cheerful and enthusiastic. The collegue Askin was very friendly and well disposed towards me. I was able to organize the lessons in accordance with the chamber group rehearsals, and this was very good.
About chamber group: the collaboration with the collegues and the students was excellent. The two students of Flute had rhythmical problems and this made harder our work. Anyway we did a good concert, at our best possibility.
In case of further chamber groups, I suggest you to do a preselection and choose your best students.
About organization: a very intensive week of activities well programmed and a wonderful musical environment. I attended to several concerts and I enjoyed music, especially turkish music. (was not possible to get more public?)
In this week of teaching, rehearsals and concerts, I felt like I were at home, in my perfect environment. I can describe the organization in two words: kindness and efficiency.
Thank you for everything, and thank you for the nice video!
Yours sincerely.
Alberto Belli
Bassoon Proffesor
Conservatory di Brescia
Last December the department coordinator of the Erasmus Office in the Palermo Conservatory of music sent us an email with a proposal to teach at Yasar University in Izmir.
We regurarly receive students from other institutions from around the world but this was the first time that we travelled abroad to another institution.
During the period before the mobility I increased my language ability by attending an English course.
– Content of the Teaching Programme
I did individual piano lessons in English from 04/05/2015 till 08/05/2015 at Bachelor Level with Turkish students.
During these lessons I could exchange cultural knowledge and discusse study plans and paedagogical issues about piano playing.
The students were well-prepared and eager to learn.
The organization by the host institution was excellent and encouraged development with other University of Music.
The week was full of various Masterclasses and concerts by students and teachers.
The programme included many chances for us teachers to compare and exchange ideas and teaching programmes during formal and informal meetings.
It certainly could be a good chance to start a collaboration between Yasar University and the Conservatorio of Palermo.
Ketty Teriaca
Piano Proffesor
Conservatory di Palermo
The week was extremely well organized, from the very beginning towards the end. Also I felt very wellcome at Yasar.
There has been a strict schedule for the coaching lessons, and also there were very interesting lecture recitals and lunch concerts which one could visit, most of the time given by the guest professors .
Thank you for inviting me, I found it a great pleasure to work with your singing students. I hope that they enjoyed it too and would like to come back.
The singers are all well motivated , no matter if they were in the Bachelor or in the Master degree. They came frequently to listen to their colleagues.
Also the singing professors of Yasar attended quite often my lessons. This showed to me that they are very much involved with the whole process of learning of their students.
Marien Van Nieukerken
Piano/Vocal Coach Proffesor
Conservatory Enschede, Netherlands
International Music Week and Fair at Izmir represent a very interesting, exciting and new experience. The organization of my teaching mobility in Izmir was very different from the others and, because of the great concentration of masterclasses and musical events, I must admit that I was some sceptic on the final result. With mine pleasant surprise instead I’ve found an efficient and very accurate organization on all accounts and the result has been above every expectation. What at the beginning it seemed to be problematic instead has been the great merit and strength’s point of this week: the possibility to meet other colleagues, to exchange with them experiences, to establish new contacts and organize new ideas, in a climate of friendship, thanks also to the organization, brilliant and sunny presence of Payam Susanni and of other colleagues, among which I would remember, with all my simpathy and appreciation, Kürşad Terci and Onur Önem whit his pleasant and assiduous presence. The students have participated seriously and assiduously to the lessons and rehearsal and with great interest and rapid learning. Despite a good technical preparation they didn’t have any experience of orchestra before, that’s a normal thing for the guitarists, and they have succeeded, with little times of rehearsal, in performing a good concert, playing like a well harmonized and good experienced orchestra. I make my compliments to everybody, organizers, teachers and students, and I hope to come back soon at Izmir and to continue this fantastic job at Yasar University!
Pier Luigi Colonna
Guitar Proffesor
Consevartory di Parma
I was an Erasmus student at Yasar University for one semester, my second semester of my second study year in 2015. I don’t believe it’s over, since I can’t be their student anymore, I feel that I would like to stay in touch with this university, the teachers and the students. I had lots of experiences and most of them were positive. I was a student at the Music Depart-ment, which is a small department and it has less students than my Academy in Romania. I experienced how is it to learn in a small class, where the teachers are paying more attention to each student.
The most positive experience that I had is that I learned how to study practically. I had theoretical lessons mostly, but I studied with such good teachers that it’s been so easy to learn without writing down some notes. I realized that if we really make the theoretical part come to reality, we can observe them and it becomes easier to understand. I feel that I have devel-oped all of my skills, I learned a lot from my teachers and also from the students who helped me, we helped each other, we studied together for the exams and it was wonderful being a part of this small community.
One of the best things at this University for the music students is that there are a lot of concerts, classical concerts, even more than once a week, without any cost and they are well organized. I think every musician needs to go to live concerts, listen to music in concert halls, and this was one of the best things the University had to offer. I participated in many good concerts. Another thing that I appreciated was that the students have many opportunities like the composers can perform their pieces, which is really impressive, because in my home country there is not a University that offers that.
One of my favorite weeks from this semester was the International Music Week, where I had the opportunity, even if I was temporary student there, to participate at master classes, and attend to some beautiful concerts each day, without any cost.
I would like to thank a lot to the university, to the Music Department, the teachers, city of Izmir, the students, the good organizations, etc. I can recommend this University to every-one who wants to develop, who wants to discover a new culture, a new world. The environ-ment of the University is incredibly nice, with green areas, good organizations such as the Spring festival, the International music week, and many others. Thank you.
Boglárka Szakács
Erasmus Change Student