BY PELİN SU UZUNCAGİL (AMER/IV)
su.uzuncagil@ug.bilkent.edu.tr
Julian Lupu is an instructor at the Department of Music and Bilkent Sympony Orchestra trumpet group leader. He studied solo trumpet and pedagogy at the George Enescu Academy of Music. Julian Lupu has attended masterclasses and competitions, winning prizes at the National Competition of Interpretation in 1989, 1991 and 1992 as well as at the competitions in Constanta (Romania) in 1992 and Bayreuth (Germany) in 1990. Having a vast repertoire, he has recorded the works of Dittersdorf, Haydn, Pichl, Mozart, Vivaldi and Rachmaninov in four CDs for Olympia, London. He is a member of Golden Horn Brass, has given several concerts with this successful quintet and took the Donizetti Prize in 2014. He has been recently honored with the prestigious Order of Cultural Merit in the rank of Knight by the Romanian President, recognizing his significant cultural contributions and artistic achievements.
Why did you choose an academic career?
As a small child I really liked music and that’s why I followed all the steps to become a good artist. My father was an accomplished musician (teacher and solo clarinet). He and my trumpet teacher were my first mentors in my training as a professor.
What do you like the most about being at Bilkent?
I have been living, teaching and performing at the wonderful Bilkent Symphony Orchestra for 31 years. I like the atmosphere, the peace, the warmth and the friendliness of the people. Bilkent University offered me everything an artist could wish for: respect, appreciation and a chance for a national and international career.
What projects are you working on currently?
Being a trumpet soloist and a teacher at the same time, it is with great pleasure that I train future trumpeters. I am working on many concerts with orchestra, solo projects, chamber music and, last but not least, on the following trumpet method (the first method came out in December 2024).
What’s your best work?
My most important work has been the students who have graduated from my classes at Bilkent University. Today they perform at the symphony orchestras in Türkiye— Hacettepe University, Ankara Opera, Samsun, İzmir and Antalya—as well as the students who study abroad.
What has been the most exciting moment of your career so far? Could you share a turning point or defining moment in your career?
The most interesting moment in my career was when I received an invitation to the famous Jazz Festival in Sao Paolo/Brazil, where out of a constellation of great trumpeters I was the only artist who taught classical music to more than 150 students. After that fantastic festival, two invitations came immediately for masterclasses in Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia. And now, I have received the highest distinction from the President of Romania, the “Cultural Merit in the rank of Knight.”
When and where do you do your best thinking?
In the wonderful Bilkent campus, where I manage to write my memoirs and ideas about future works.
What distracts you?
The recent international situation and inequalities.
What are you most curious about?
I am curious about future projects and invitations, about the new students and about being able to bring them to a very high level.
What do you like to do when you are not working?
I like listening to music, reading a favorite book, walking and travelling.
Which books have influenced you the most, and why?
“Les Miserables,” V. Hugo; “The Red and the Black,” Stendhal; “War and Peace,” L. Tolstoy. Masterpieces of humanity.
Which films have influenced you the most, and why?
“Amadeus” by M. Forman. It is about the genius and drama of W.A. Mozart.
If you weren’t an academic, what career would you choose?
I would like to be an actor or a psychologist.
What is the secret of leading a happy life?
In my opinion, the secret is to be balanced in everything: doing sport, eating healthily, being positive all the time and of course, listening to quality music.
If you could go back to your undergraduate/graduate student years, what advice would you give to your younger self?
If I were to go back to my student years, I would recommend that my young friends combine the useful with the pleasant, study seriously and relax when necessary. To live decently the most beautiful period of life—student life.
If you had unlimited funds, what would you like to research?
I would like to help very talented children, who are many, to follow an artistic career.