Silence and Conducting
Dr. Burak Onur Erdem
Silence is a notion that we all experience in every moment in life, but only partially. There is "no" absolute silence in the world. Even in an anechoic chamber, you have to face the sound of your heartbeat and probably sounds in your mind. So, how does silence function in a musical context? We all know about it, but we barely talk about it.
In this session, we'll be discovering silence as a musical texture, with examples of historical composers as well as contemporary music. We will speak about how a conductor can consciously choose to work with silence in rehearsal and performance.
Topics Include:
- How does silence function in music?
- What effects does silence have on the audience?
- Musical examples on silence: Arvo Pärt, Anton Bruckner, Johannes Brahms, Hasan Uçarsu, Dimitris Skyllas
- Why is it important for choral conductors to be aware of silence?
Meet Your Professor
Dr. Burak Onur Erdem is the principal conductor of the Turkish State Choir.
Erdem graduated from Boğaziçi University Political Science & International Relations department with the Rector’s Prize. He has a master’s degree in music theory and a PhD in conducting from ITU Centre for Advanced Studies in Music. Thereafter, he finished his postgraduate degree with Prof. Johannes Prinz on choral conducting in Kunstuniversität Graz.
Erdem studied with Michael Ellison (form & music theory), Adam Roberts (advanced harmony), Paul Whitehead (renaissance & baroque style), Lynn Trepel Çağlar (singing) among other notable tutors. He worked with renowned conductors like Johannes Prinz, Maria Guinand, Anders Eby, Volker Hempfling, Denes Szabo, Michael Gohl and Georg Grün in international conducting masterclasses.
Erdem won prizes in guitar and singing in his highschool years in Jugend Musiziert competitions. Starting from his university years, he performed with his choirs in countries like Portugal, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Estonia, Hungary, Greece, Bulgaria, as well as in Türkiye. He won prizes in prestigious competitions like Cork, Arezzo, Varna, and Marktoberdorf with Rezonans, which he founded. He has been invited as a jury member to Italian National Choral Conducting Competition, Arezzo International Choral Competition, German National Choral Competition, and Japan National Choral Competition. He founded Bahçeşehir University Choral School and taught in national and international choral conducting masterclasses.
Erdem has led the World Symposium on Choral Music 2023 Istanbul as its festival director and continues to serve as vice-president of the European Choral Association and International Federation of Choral Music.