Kerem, a London-born conductor with Cypriot roots, has gained international acclaim from his early win at the Nestlé and Salzburg Festival’s Young Conductors Award in 2017 to serving as Chief Conductor of the Tiroler Symphony Orchestra in Austria and performing globally, Kerem shares invaluable insights into his craft. He emphasises the importance of collaboration, active listening and adaptation to orchestras different styles, as he embarks on an incredible feat this year, in directing sixteen different orchestras, across sixteen of the world’s big cities, in just six months.

Kerem describes orchestras as high-performing teams and discusses how he guides them with authenticity, perceptiveness, and a strong sense of self, citing deep intuition and sensitivity as key to unlocking the potential of an ensemble. Kerem highlights the need to embrace mistakes as opportunities to learn and improve through intense practice, constantly refining his approach.

He introduces the concept and importance of multiple layers of awareness in leadership and underscores the evolving role of conductors in making classical music accessible, fostering community connections, and harnessing the universal power of the arts to bridge cultural divides.

Podcast Chapters

00:00:00-Welcome Kerem to Culture de-cooded

00:02:47-The Role of the Conductor

00:09:11-Adaptation to orchestras across the globe

00:13:13-Importance of continuous improvement & collaboration

00:18:47-Relationship between orchestra and conductor

00:22:03-Authentic leadership

00:29:15-Ability to read the room

00:31:16-Education in Glasgow & Zurich

00:36:09-Importance of Sleep

00:38:20-Looking ahead...

00:43:09-Idealism & the power of music

00:44:53-Kerem's Inspirations

00:48:27-Kerem's leadership philosophy in a song