Ilker Arcayürek in an interview

"A voice is like a flower; it must be respected and cared for as such."

Ilker Arcayürek is the first prize winner of the Hugo Wolf Academy Stuttgart International Competition for Song Art in 2016. The previous year, he was a finalist in the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition and was selected by BBC Radio 3 as a New Generation Artist until 2017. In the autumn of 2016, he made his highly anticipated recital debut at Wigmore Hall in London. Since the 2015/16 season, Ilker Arcayürek has been a member of the ensemble at the Nuremberg State Theatre. Ilker Arcayürek was born in Istanbul and grew up in Vienna.

Classicpoint.net: Your family moved from Turkey to Vienna so that your half-sister could receive a good violin education. What was this move like for you?
It was autumn 1989 when we moved to Austria. We weren't used to wind and cold like that. On the first day of our arrival, we went for a walk, and my mother, worried about me, bought the first jacket she saw. Unfortunately, it was light pink and much too big for me, but it kept me warm! I also remember my first spare ribs at a beach café on the Old Danube. Since then, ribs have been my favorite dish. Not being able to see the sea anymore and suddenly having to speak a new language was certainly the biggest adjustment, but I quickly got used to the new circumstances. As a five-year-old, you certainly don't have as many demands as an adult.

Your sister later decided she no longer wanted to play the violin, but you developed a love for music. What sparked your interest?
My mother loved classical music. Our CD player was on almost day and night. We listened to CDs of various genres together, from Guns N' Roses and Tina Turner to Glenn Gould and Anne-Sophie Mutter. My first CD with classical vocals was by the Three Tenors.

You were accepted into the Vienna Mozart Boys' Choir and discovered a love of singing. What did you enjoy about it?
The group dynamic captivated me immediately. We bonded very quickly as a group and also did a lot together outside of choir practice.
There were children from all sorts of countries and various religious denominations represented in the choir. It was enriching for my life to grow up in this environment and to be able to gain my first experiences in the world of music.

After that, things became difficult in your life. Your parents separated, and your mother moved back to Turkey. You lived with your sister, practically without money. You even dropped out of school to take odd jobs and survive. Can you tell us about this formative period?
I had to overcome some challenges in my youth, but I still want to emphasize that I had a happy childhood. I try to complain as little as possible and, despite everything, be grateful for what I have and keep in mind that many people might be worse off.
Sometimes life's circumstances weren't fair, but you have a lot of control over your own life and can achieve your goals through hard work and a bit of luck.
That's what I did and what I continue to do. I was healthy, clear-headed, and talented. So I already had all the prerequisites to build a career and just had to take this rocky but beautiful path.

The music academy initially refused to accept you because you were considered too shy?
I am, and always have been, a very sensitive person, which is why they felt I wouldn't be able to keep up with the cutthroat competition at the academy, especially in the world of opera. Some professors at the academy had never even been on stage themselves, which I find very concerning. For example, I wouldn't want a driving instructor who had never actually sat behind the wheel of a car, but only knew the theory of how it "should" work. Even today, I see in my own circle of acquaintances that talents are often misdiagnosed and immediately pigeonholed.
A voice is like a flower, and you have to respect and nurture it as such. It starts as just a bud and has to develop slowly. If you're impatient and overwater it, the plant withers. If you underwater it, it also withers. The balance has to be right, and you have to follow this patient path until the flower blooms in all its glory. That's probably a topic I could talk and philosophize about for hours.

Why did you keep fighting? What motivated you?
Singing was the only thing I wanted/could do and that fulfilled me. I also felt cheated by fate and had a lot of anger inside. I channeled that anger into ambition and refused to accept the situation at the time, deciding to challenge my luck.

You finally made your breakthrough at the Zurich Opera Studio. Did you have a plan B?
I was the only one who came to the Opera Studio without a degree and had a lot of catching up to do. Perhaps I was even better at some things instinctively than others.
The Opera Studio was a very educational time and gave me a realistic view of the singing profession. For me, there was no plan B in life, and I still feel that way.

What are your next goals and projects?
I'm looking forward to my US debut in New York, San Francisco and Santa Fe, and I hope to stay healthy in the future and be able to spend as much time as possible with my daughter and my wife despite my career.

What are your favorite roles and pieces?
At the moment, I'm really enjoying singing Schubert's Winterreise. Because I haven't had the easiest path, I see many parallels, I've made the work my own, and I'm moved every time I sing it. As a lyric tenor, I'm happy when I occasionally get the chance to sing not the lover, but a war hero, and to explore characters like Idomeneo, Ulisse, and so on.
I get a lot of pleasure from developing and portraying such characters during the rehearsal process.

How do you prepare for a role?
First musically, then psychologically, and finally physically. I try to think, walk, and act like the character.

Do you have any rituals before you go on stage?
I'm not superstitious at all and try to avoid rituals. I'm usually too nervous to think about them anyway. But I warm up my voice every day, and then it's just "eyes closed and go for it."

Interview by Florian Schär | Classicpoint.net | January 1, 2019
© Image: Janina Laszlo

Next concerts

December 12, 2026 - Christmas concert of the Bern Chamber Choir - Johann Sebastian Bach Christmas Oratorio
December 13, 2026 - Christmas concert of the Bern Chamber Choir - Johann Sebastian Bach Christmas Oratorio