Selected as one of the thirty most inspiring people under the age of thirty (30 under 30) by Forbes Turkey in 2019, Nisan Ak is a rapidly rising conductor from Istanbul. Since has conducted orchestras on four different continents. Her recent engagements include orchestras in cities such as Ankara, Pachuca, Atlanta, Columbia, Vienna, Pärnu, Washington DC, New York City, and more.

Ak is the founder and the music director of the Bruch Chamber Orchestra (BCO). The BCO has a unique position of being an all-female executive team, a rarity in the classical music world, all under 30. The BCO published its first album in 2022 and was listed in four worldwide playlists by Apple, hitting 100k listeners in under two months.

Besides her career in conducting, Ak is a public advocate for both the accessibility of classical music for all and women’s leadership in the workspace. She creates educational outreach videos in both English and Turkish and gives speeches about women’s visibility and leadership. These engagements include the “+90” channel of Voice of America, TedX talk in METU, short documentaries by CUNY, TRT Music, Haberturk TV, and Mercedes-Benz Turkey.

During the 2022-23 season, she conducted orchestras in cities such as Miami, Palm Beach, San Francisco, Bursa, Quebec and more. Her 2023-24 season highlights include closing Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra’s season with pianist ZeeZee and closing Antalya Symphony’s season with violinist Sara Dragan. 

Currently, Dr. Nisan Ak holds adjunct positions at the College of Charleston. She is a graduate of the City University of New York’s Masters of Music program in conducting and earned a Doctorate degree in conducting from the University of South Carolina.