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THE WINNER 2026

GÜRAY KAPUCU 

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We are delighted to announce the winner of the Brusa Foundation Award for the year 2026:

GÜRAY KAPUCU, from Izmir, Turkey (Türkiye) born in 2000, for his work  “Sérendipité ”

This young composer has the qualities we are searching for: natural musicality, beautiful armonies, good ideas, sense of form and no imposed contemporary technique or style. Just free beautiful music. Yet, it is music of our times which gives us natural feelings and not just intellectual, clever and contemporary techniques.

This time the mood of the piece compared to his previous Bird in a Cage is calmer, softer and more melancholy and lyrical. The music comes directly from his inner feelings with no filters. One can also hear a personal style which connects with his previous work.

The Foundation Committee was thrilled to receive 73 scores from 28 countries. There were entries that did not meet our standards in terms of musical competence and there were composers who fell outside of our strict age limits, didn't use pseudonyms and even didn't give a name to their piece.

However, the quality of many of the submissions was high, and we were extremely happy to discover so many talented composers. For this reason, we felt it necessary to publish the names and works of certain candidates whose compositions we felt were also of merit.  

The Foundation would therefore like to give Honourable Mentions to: (In no particular order)

Mathew Holloway from the UK for “Pale Blue Dot”

Antonino Caracò from Italy for “Parthenope”

Lilixin from China for “Souq - Splendeur et Elégie”

Joshua Goodell from USA for “Scherzo”

William Joseph Puchot from USA for “Suenos De Baja”

Thomas Hooper from the UK for “Flame”

Alexander Papp from the UK/ Hungary for “Frieden”

We urge all eligible candidates to submit their compositions next year, even those who have already won or have been awarded an Honourable Mention. However, if you already applied, we would ask you to please use a different pseudonym upon application or else you will be disqualified.

Information about the 4th Award (2025) will be found on our page and on the ‘Musical Chairs’ website from February 2027. Please read and follow the instructions carefully to avoid disqualification.

The Brusa Foundation

Born in Izmir in 2000, he completed his early education before ranking first in the 2014 entrance examinations for the Işılay Saygın Fine Arts High School. During his secondary studies, he performed extensively as a pianist and toured both nationally and internationally with the school choir. 

In 2018, he was admitted to the Department of Composition and Orchestral Conducting at the Dokuz Eylül University State Conservatory. He graduated in 2023, ranking third in his class and earning a Certificate of Outstanding Achievement. He subsequently began his master’s studies in Composition at the Dokuz Eylül University Graduate School of Fine Arts and was appointed as an instructor at the Dokuz Eylül University State Conservatory in 2024. 

Set to complete his master’s degree in 2026, his compositional achievements have earned international acclaim. In 2023, he won First Prize in the "Lied" Composition Competition organized by the Austrian Association of Atatürkist Thought to commemorate the Centennial of the Republic of Turkey. In 2024, he was awarded First Prize in the "Symphonic Works" category by the London Brusa Foundation, selected from 85 participants across 35 countries. Most recently, in 2025, he received an Honorable Mention in the Children's Song Composition Competition hosted by the Olten Art Foundation. 

The Brusa Foundation Ltd is a not for profit company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales under company number 14438394

© Gilser 2023