Biography

Ilyun Bürkev was born in Turkey in 2008. She began her piano studies at the Istanbul State Conservatory of the Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts with Prof. Burcu Aktas Urgan and continued her studies at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg with Prof. Gililov. 

She had the opportunity to take part in masterclasses by world-famous pianists. Among them are the state artist and pianist Gülsin Onay, Prof. Gereon Kleiner and Prof. Andreas Weber, Prof. Vincenzo Barzani, Shaun Choo, Yunus Kaya, Emre Sen, Jean Marc Luisada, Pablo Galdo, Valerian Shiukashvili and Caspar Frantz. She is a scholarship holder of the Liechtenstein Music Academy and takes part in the academy's intensive weeks and activities. 

Ilyun's first success in international competitions was the 1^st prize in category B of the “Memorijal Jurica Murai International Piano Competition” in Varazdin, Croatia, followed by the 3^rd prize at the “Paris International Music Competition” 2018. In 2019, she won the 3^rd prize at the “Adana Rhapsody Piano Competition” and the 1^st prize at the “Istanbul Pera International Piano Competition”. At the “9^th María Herrero International Piano Competition” in Spain she won the 1^st prize in the Infantile A category and the “Special Prize for Musicality”. At the “Chopin International Piano Competition”, organized by Maltepe University in Istanbul, she won the 1^st prize and the awards “Best Chopin Performance” and “Best National Piece Performance”. In 2023, at the “Jeune Chopin 3^rd International Piano Competition”, organized by the Chopin Institute in Switzerland, she won the 3^rd prize in the competition where the first place in her category was not awarded. 

Ilyun performed at numerous concerts in Turkey and abroad. In 2021, she played with the Cukurova State Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Eray Inal and with the Dogus Children Symphony Orchestra under the direction of conductor Rengim Gökmen. In 2022, she performed with the Ankara State Opera Orchestra and the Izmir State Symphony Orchestra and in 2023, she played Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 13 in C major, KV 415 with the Camerata Saygun Chamber Orchestra. Also in 2023, she performed at the Bogazici Business Awards at the Albert Long Hall of the Bosphorus University. 

Ilyun participated in several international festivals, such as the 17^th International Bellapais Music Festival in Cyprus with state artists Gülsin Onay and Tuna Bilgin, the 5^th Chieti Classica International Music Festival, the opening concert of the Opus Music Festival 2022 and the Young Stars of Salzburg-Concert in Istanbul's Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall, also in 2022.