Draft:Yunus Gencer

Ali Yunus Gencer (born October, 1987) is an Istanbulite contemporary music composer, scholar, and author.

Biography
Yunus Gencer (DMA) is an educator with expertise in various music disciplines. Since 2007, he has taught ear training, piano, music appreciation, music theory, music history, counterpoint, harmony, and composition to students from diverse backgrounds and age groups. As of August 2023, he holds the position of Associate Professor.

Gencer is also an author, having published books such as "Dance Music in the Baroque Era I - II " (2023) and "Interactive Accompanied Solfeggio I" (2023). His scholarly article titled "Ottoman Influences on European Music" appeared in Volumes 10 and 14 of the CMR Project at The University of Birmingham. He presented a related paper at the Intercultural Music Conference 2 in 2018. Another significant contribution is his second scholarly article, "Understanding Opera’s Predecessor: Madrigal Comedy and an Analysis of Adriano Banchieri’s Il Zabaione Musicale," published in the peer-reviewed journal *MSFAU Journal of Social Sciences*.

In 2022, Gedik Sanat commissioned Gencer to compose a Clarinet Concerto, which premiered at the Süreyya Opera House on May 10, 2023. He has also composed music for Gedik Sanat's projects, including "Unvoiced Diaries" (2020) and "Quarantine Circumstances" (2021). Notably, he received the Smit Composition Award in 2015, and his compositions have been performed in various venues across Istanbul, London, Essen, Boston, and Memphis.

Beyond music, Gencer published a non-music-related book titled "Disentangled" in 2021, featuring his poems, essays, and aphorisms.

His educational journey began at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (MSFAU) State Conservatory in Istanbul, where he pursued a double major in composition and music theory. Graduating summa cum laude in 2010, he continued as a lecturer at MSFAU while pursuing post-graduate studies in composition. His international experiences include studying at the Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester, UK) as an ERASMUS exchange student in 2011. Later, he pursued a Full Assistantship at the University of Memphis (TN, USA), earning his Master’s degree in December 2013 and completing his DMA in 2016. Since 2020, Gencer has held the position of Assistant Professor at MSFAU, achieving the rank of Associate Professor in 2023.

Throughout his educational journey, Gencer received valuable guidance from esteemed composers and scholars, including Volkan Barut, Adam Gorb, Ozkan Manav, Gary Carpenter, Hasan Ucarsu, Kamran Ince, and John Baur.