THE FACULTY OF MUSIC AND PERFORMING ARTS
Department of Performing Arts Founder Prof. Cüneyt Gökçer
Bilkent University Department of Performing Arts (Theatre Department -TR) officially began education in 1986 with Prof. Cüneyt Gökçer (1920-2009) as the founding chair.
The curriculum was shaped to include acting, voice, movement, fencing, phonetics, singing, theatre history, and dramatic analysis. Students performed works by Chekhov, Beckett, Shakespeare, Lorca, Brecht, Molière, and many others, and continued to represent Bilkent at national and international festivals. The department, under Prof. Gökçer’s leadership became the first in Turkey to offer directing education alongside acting in 1996. Since 2009, the department has focused solely on undergraduate actor training.
Cüneyt Gökçer, one of the masters of modern Turkish theater, was born in Malatya in 1920. He graduated from the Ankara State Conservatory Theater Department in 1942, and started teaching at the conservatory shortly after, upon the recommendation of his teacher Prof. Carl Ebert.
Prof. Gökçer has served as the general director of State Theater, the director of Ankara State Conservatory, and the founding chair of the Department of Theater of Bilkent University.
At the State Theaters, Gökçer served both as an actor and as a director. He played leading roles in many plays such as King Oedipus, Twelfth Night, IV Henry, The Fiddler on the Roof, Antigone, Julius Caesar, and King Lear. During 1959-1997, Gökçer directed over 20 operas, including Richard Strauss’s Salome.
In addition to the numerous awards he received, Gökçer was conferred the title of the State Artist in 1982. He was awarded the medal of King I. Georges of Greece (1963), the title of Commandatore, Italy (1970) as well as the Medal of Culture, Poland.
Prof. Cüneyt Gökçer’s impact on Turkish theater remains profound. As Prof. Talat Halman eloquently expressed:
“An extraordinary actor and director, a virtuoso teacher of the dramatic arts, a legendary theatrical personality who gave inspiration and excitement to hundreds of theatre, opera and ballet productions.”
Our department maintains an archive containing photos, memorabilia and a catalogue of press clippings for Prof. Cüneyt Gökçer. The archive is available by appointment for academic researchers.
The Vision of Prof. Dr. İhsan Doğramacı
As the founding figure of Bilkent University and the Faculty of Music and Performance Arts, Prof. Ihsan Doğramacı (1915-2010) envisioned an institution that would cultivate not only performers, but also educators, researchers, and cultural leaders.
His leadership enabled significant milestones, including the establishment of Turkey’s first faculty-level performing arts program, the founding of a music primary school within the university framework, and the creation of the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra in 1993. These innovations helped form a cohesive educational ecosystem—from early music education to graduate-level performance and research—built to serve both national culture and international collaboration.
Prof. Doğramacı’s passion for music and theatre extended back to his youth, as described by Cüneyt Gökçer:
“A great person who brought art to science and science to art. One is not made great—they are born great. Every time I remember the name Doğramacı, I see this truth. I recall two individuals who never missed the concerts and performances held in the small concert hall of the Ankara State Conservatory in 1939: one was statesman İsmet İnönü, the other was a young doctor, İhsan Doğramacı.”
From its inception, the Faculty of Music and Performing Arts reflected Prof. Doğramacı’s holistic and pioneering vision for education—one that positioned the arts as its equal companion to science. His ambition to integrate rigorous academic excellence with artistic creation laid the groundwork for a structure that would enable future musicians, actors, and directors to thrive in a unified intellectual and creative environment.
Establishment Mission of the Faculty of Music and Performing Arts
The Faculty of Music and Performing Arts stands out as one of the first three faculties established with the university’s founding in 1984, commencing education in 1986.
The Founding Dean of The Faculty of Music and Performing Arts was Prof. Ersin Onay (1949-2023).
As the first faculty-level institution in Turkey dedicated to music and performing arts, this faculty was shaped by the vision of Prof. Dr. İhsan Doğramacı, embracing the goal of achieving global recognition in education, science, culture, and the arts.
To reach this goal, the faculty aimed to train highly skilled, creative, and interpretive artists in the fields of music and theatre; to build bridges within the national and international arts world; and to contribute fresh energy to the field. This vision served as a guiding framework in developing an educational and practical program that could elevate young artists to a level of international competitiveness.
The vision also included the establishment of professional and semi-professional artistic institutions at international standards, the creation of youth and community outreach projects, and the organization of artistic events and festivals. In doing so, the faculty sought to create both a productive academic and research environment and a new center of attraction for the arts world.
Through its artistic ensembles, the faculty aimed to stand out internationally and to make a lasting impact both in Turkey and globally by enhancing the quality and originality of its education. This ambition was to be realized through multidimensional functionality, coherence between functions, and a prudent, innovative faculty structure.
As Prof. Onay noted, the faculty was designed as a space where functionality and integration could coexist with artistic excellence: “Such multidimensional functionality, inter-function coherence, high educational quality, efficiency, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness can all be achieved together.”
With its original educational model and humanistic philosophy, the faculty was shaped by a dynamic and contemporary perspective, aiming to foster an artistic climate conducive to the development of its students. The ideal of creating a fertile artistic environment became the inspiration for the faculty’s founding design.
İ.D. Bilkent University Faculty of Music and Performing Arts – Theatre Department continues to uphold its founders’ legacy through its dedication to train highly skilled, creative, and interpretive artists, to build bridges with the national and international arts world, and to dedication to artistic excellence.
Sources:
ONAY Ersin, “From Soil to Stage: A Symphonic Journey to Anatolia,” Sun Publishing House, Ankara, 2017.
