Ömer Kayhan M.A.
he/himAbout Ömer Kayhan
Ömer Aziz Kayhan hails from Istanbul, Türkiye. His musical journey began as a singer with the Rezonans choir in 2015. He pursued studies in music and economics at Cornell University where he later worked as an assistant conductor. He studied as a choral and orchestral conductor at Eastman School of Music, graduating in 2024. From 2022-2024, he conducted several vocal ensembles at the Eastman School of Music and was Assistant Conductor for Eastman Opera Theater for 23’- 24’ where he coached singers, conducted stagings, and prepared choruses for several productions and during his time at Eastman, he performed with Paul O’Dette and Christel Thielmann’s early music ensemble Collegium as tenor/bass singer. He also volunteered with Rochester-based ENCORE, a choral organization for people with dementia and their caregivers. He has been selected for prestigious festivals such as Mostly Modern, Norfolk, and the Aspen Music Festival, he has premiered many new music compositions and conducted the Grammy-nominated Seraphic Fire choir. Ömer has a deep affinity for a large variety of repertoire and finds his passion in choral-orchestral works. Ömer’s recent work features performances of Mozart’s Requiem, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and preparing a collage of Puccini choruses for Grammy-nominated conductor Gil Rose and the Artpark Festival. His interests beyond music include rock climbing, hiking, and reading!
Education
- B.A in Music and Economics Double Major at Cornell University 20’
- M.M in Conducting with Choral Emphasis from Eastman School of Music 24’
Area of Expertise
- Conducting
- Voice Performance
- Ensemble Singing
- Early Music and Performance Practice