20.07.2023

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Widely renowned as one of Turkey’s most acclaimed cultural exports, Gülsin Onay has been enchanting audiences around the globe for decades on end, starting with her first concert which she presented at the tender age of six.  

Over the course of this time she has achieved widespread recognition throughout Europe and beyond, forging an international career that has traversed dozens of nations, and which has seen her work together with some of the most honoured and respected musicians and organisations of our day.  

Onay is universally recognised as the foremost interpreter of Ahmed Adnan Saygun's music, the preeminent 20th century Turkish composer. Notably, she premiered his 2nd Piano Concerto, which was also dedicated to her. She has served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2003 and has held the role of Artistic Advisor for the International Gümüşlük Classical Music Festival and Academy since its inception in 2004.  

In the present day, Onay dedicates her time to touring, teaching, performing, and participating as a jury member in multiple international competitions, such as the 5th Eurasian Stars International Competition, which recently took place in Kazakhstan. We managed to sit down with her after this event, and discuss her opinion of the project as well as the invaluable insights she has gained through her storied career.  

How did you find the Eurasian Stars International Competition to be? Was the level of the contestants at the heights that you would expect from a contest of this type?  
“It was an excellent experience! A competition with a really high level I felt, and it’s so important now more than ever before to have such events being organised. Music is so important for the world; there is a great need for something to soothe our souls and music is so important for this. Young people need to be encouraged to develop and share their own vision for the future, and I was so happy to see so many young, very talented pianists do just that in Astana, all while having an audience in front of them. There were a lot of really great pianists there, and I am certain that they are soon going to become great artists.”  

What is it that you look out for when judging at music competitions like this?  
“There are some obvious elements which are crucial certainly – technique, skill, control of the instrument – all these have to be there, and must be of a high standard, but these are not enough on their own. Even more importantly, you have to look out for the language of the musicians, for their unique voice. It is not enough to just play, but they need to be creating meaning, to be saying something with each piece. Every note they play has to have a meaning, it cannot just be played mechanically, that is not enough at this level.”  

What did you think about the programme of the competition, and the piece that the pianists chose?  
“It was an excellent programme, and I think it’s also a very good idea to have contemporary pieces included, both for the composers, who need to get their works out to different people with different voices, and also for the participants, who get to show their creativity with a relatively new piece like the one by Alexey Shor and Mikhail Pletnev that was performed here, because they’ve never heard it before so it’s all themselves and that’s very important, it makes a big difference. And this work by Alexey Shor was a great choice I think, it is like a bridge from the classical to the contemporary. It has very very rich colours and is very beautiful, I really like it very much”.

  
Alexey Shor, composer  

As you know, Eurasian Stars 2023, in addition to being its own standalone competition, is also a part of the ‘14 Ways to Dubai’ project, so the first five pianists in the final standings shall now be receiving a chance to take part in the invite-only Classic Piano competition which will be held in Dubai in 2024. What do you think about having a competition format of this style, and do you think it can work to help identify the top young pianists of our time?  
“Yes, I must say that this is the first time that I have been involved in a competition of this style. It’s very interesting, very original, and I feel it is an incredibly motivating and exciting approach. Having the opportunity to win an invite to such an exclusive event is a great motivation and in Dubai there will be the crème de la crème as they say. So it’s all very exciting, and it’s going to make a very unique and extremely high-level competition at Classic Piano I’m sure. I’m very thrilled that I got to play a part in it all!”  

Looking at competitions in general, what are your thoughts about their role in the contemporary music world, and how beneficial do you think they can be to young musicians?  “I think music contests can be very helpful indeed, because they can motivate young musicians to expand their repertoire, and they can give them a purpose towards which to work so that they can show their very best. Young people don’t usually have a concert schedule so they don’t have the chance to perform in front of people, so to get such opportunities thanks to competitions is a huge deal for them, especially when it comes to incentive. As Béla Bartók famously said though, competitions should be for horses, not musicians, and it’s important to remember that too much competition can be an issue. There are some people who end up running from competition to competition, competing one and going straight into another, and well… let’s just say that it’s not a good thing if it becomes like an addiction. It’s very good to focus for a while, to prepare for a competition, but then after that you have to find yourself, focus on your artistic pursuits and your concert schedule.”  

What advice would you offer to those who are heading into competitions, and conversely, what would you say to people who have won them? How can they best translate their victory into something more lasting?  
“Firstly, it’s important to remember that whether it is a competition or a concert, or if you’re just rehearsing at home, the most important thing is that you create magic at that moment that you are playing, to ensure that each musical phrase is a new creation and a magical moment. Ultimately, there is no point in getting nervous or too excited or whatever, although this is natural of course, but one must always remember that at the core of everything – be it competition or concert or just practice – is the music. You have to serve the music and show yourself through it.  

As for those who have won competitions, well, winning is also not everything I’m afraid, and what comes after is also extremely important. The piano repertoire is unbelievably huge, it’s an absolute treasure, so huge that you cannot play everything in one life, it is impossible, and I think it is always important to know more and more of this incredible collection. So what any winner of a competition should do is continue to concentrate on making their repertoire larger, on learning more pieces, discovering new treasures and just continuing on their journey with the same energy that they had before. This journey is by its nature an endless one, so they need to continue on this road and keep on moving forward.”  

In our day and age musicians have a lot more tools and opportunities thanks to technological advances than they did before, but this can also bring with it its own set of challenges. How beneficial or otherwise do you think modern advances can be to young artists?  
“As with all things in life I think there are positive and negative sides to this point. Having so many possibilities, such incredible possibilities to meet everyone through the internet for instance, and to talk to other musicians so easily, these are really wonderful. However, at the same time, you have to be very selective these days, because otherwise you can end up losing lots of time and energy, and you also have to be careful so as not to end up losing your own voice among the noise of the world. So the advantages are there and need to be used, but there needs to be attention so that you do not lose yourself or your identity but continue to develop your inner voice.”  

On a more personal note, across your career you have worked in many different scenarios, be it as a performer, jury member, teacher, and many others. Would you say that there is one you prefer doing over the others?  
“They’re very different things of course, but I really feel that they each offer me so much and I really love them all. It’s amazing being with young people and teaching them, and it’s always so wonderful to see how happy they are when they learn something new. And then as a juror it’s so interesting and exciting to hear young people play, it touches me to see the wonderful abilities of these artists and the effort they put into their work. These are people who choose to focus and work so hard on music which is just fantastic to witness. And then there is playing itself, which is undoubtedly always such a great experience to go through, it’s such a joy for me, and I always feel so immensely thankful everyday that I can still play!”  

For more information about Gülsin Onay and her upcoming professional endeavours, visit her official website at gulsinonay.com.