About

Turkish-American conductor and composer was born in Turkey. Between 2017-2019 he lived in Milan for specializing in Italian operas by working with Professor Daniele Agiman and Vittorio Parisi at Conservatorio di Musica Giuseppe Verdi.

Yavuz, graduated from Cukurova University State Conservatory where he studied piano and voice. He continued his studies in composition at Dokuz Eylul University State Conservatory with Istemihan Taviloglu and Sayram Akdil. He graduated from the program after four years – a rare feat for the intensive five-year program. In 2007, he began his master's studies in orchestral conducting at the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University State Conservatory in Istanbul, Turkey with Professor Gürer Aykal.

During his orchestral conducting studies at the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University State Conservatory, he served as the music director of Youth Orchestra and choir, and the assistant conductor of Gurer Aykal with the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra. Assisting Maestro Aykal and a highly qualified orchestra helped him to develop his conducting skills, rehearsal techniques, repertory and pedagogy. Additionally, Mürsel Yavuz has guest conducted Concerto Barocco Chamber Orchestra of Izmir, Bursa State Symphony Orchestra, and the Penn State University Philharmonic Orchestra. He also conducted Symphonic Orchestra of State Opera-Rousse in Bulgaria, North Czech Philarmonic Orchestra, the Youth Orchestras he created in Bloomington, Indiana and the Pennsylvania State University.

In 2006, Mr. Yavuz was awarded a scholarship to study in the “Accademia Musicale Chigiana” in Italy for a short period of time, to attend classes of Gianluigi Gelmetti. In 2010, he was granted a scholarship by Borusan Center for Culture and Arts and began studying with Thomas Baldner, Robert Porco, attended classes of David Effron and Arthur Fagen at Indiana University in Bloomington.

​In addition to his university studies, Yavuz has studied with Gustav Meier, Murry Sidlin, Martyn Brabbins, Wolfgang Scheidt, Harold Farberman, Mark Stringer and Johannes Schlaefli in various master classes in the United States, Italy, Russia, Bulgaria and Scotland where he had opportunity to work with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.