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Cem Mansur
"The instrumental playing under the quick and careful direction of Cem Mansur was very keen and remarkably polished." Financial Times
“An assiduous reading by Cem Mansur and the Royal Philharmonic had that feeling for tempo and nuance that lets the music do the work” (Don Giovanni) The Times
Cem Mansur has recently returned from his second visit to Finland where he conducted the European premiere of Arvo Part’s 4th Symphony with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. The performance was met with acclaim by the composer who has now recommended the conductor to various festivals to perform his works. His first concert with the Mikkeli City Orchestra in November 2008, had resulted in an invitation to appear there for several weeks each season. His appearance at the Puccini Festival at Torre del lago (“Tosca”) on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth has also produced an invitation to return.
Born in Istanbul, Cem Mansur studied music in London, at the City University and the Guildhall School of music and Drama where he was awarded the Ricordi Conducting Prize. He later studied at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute with Leonard Bernstein.
Mansur was conductor of the Istanbul State Opera between 1981 and 1989. Following a highly successful London debut with the English Chamber Orchestra in 1985, he conducted various orchestras and opera companies in Holland, France, Italy, The Czech Republic, Romania, Hungary, Germany, Sweden, Spain, Mexico, Israel, South Africa, Finland and Russia, where he has been a frequent guest at the invitation of Valery Gergiev.
Between 1989 and 1996 Cem Mansur was Principal Conductor of the City of Oxford Orchestra and became Artistic Director of the Akbank Chamber Orchestra in 1998, winning special recognition for his creative programming.
Orchestras he has recently conducted include: Britten Sinfonia, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, London Mozart Players, City of London Sinfonia, BBC Concert Orchestra, George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra (Bucharest), Concerto Grosso Frankfurt, Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra and the Holland Park Opera Festival in London where he has appeared regularly since 1997.
He has appeared with many distinguished soloists including Murray Perahia, Janos Starker, Midori, Moura Lympany, Dmitri Alexeev, Barry Douglas, Stephen Kovacevich, Mikhail Rudy, Julian Lloyd-Webber, Galina Gorchakova, Christian Lindberg, Hakan Hardenberger, Dimitris Sgouros, Evelyn Glennie, Natalia Gutman, Alexander Toradze and Sharon Bezaly.
Cem Mansur's extensive repertoire includes many unusual works. He has conducted the first performance of Elgar's unfinished opera "The Spanish Lady" in London and Offenbach's opera "Whittington" had its first performance since its premiere in the 19th century, under his direction at the City of London Festival in 2000.
Mansur is President of the Ipswich Choral Society, the second oldest such institution in England, and the founding musical director of the Turkish National Youth Orchestra. He is fluent in English, German French and İtalian.
