Bilkent University has been organizing the International Composition Competition in the name of its founder, Prof. İhsan Doğramacı, since 2024. The aim of the competition is to honor his cherished memory not only in the scientific field but also in the world of art and music. Held biennially, this competition encourages composers to create new works, ensuring that our founder is remembered through the unifying universal power of art. With future competitions planned for violin concerto (2028) and cello concerto (2030), the emerging new works will further solidify this purpose.
The awards of the 2nd İhsan Doğramacı International Composition Competition (2026) — Piano Concerto category have been determined by the jury’s evaluations.
1st Prize: Emircan Pehlivan (İstanbul, Türkiye)
2nd Prize: Juan Sebastián Cardona Ospina (Colombia)
3rd Prize: Arda İşkol (Ankara, Türkiye)
Honorable Mention: Sina Jafarikia (Iran) and Johanna Ruotsalainen (Finland)
Among the awarded works, there was a performance of the piece selected for first prize. The orchestral rehearsals for this work took place March 5–7. The premiere was given by the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Conductor Gürer Aykal on Saturday, March 7.
