Müge was an ordinary girl like any other, but she wanted more out of life than her family’s farm could offer her. Her father had been lucky to find love with her mother, and he wanted the same for his daughter, who was much too young to get married at the time that Müge first left home. She left the safety of her small town behind and set off into the world to pursue her dreams, only to find that she couldn’t keep up with the pace of life in the big city. As the Crow Flies: Müge’s Journey to Find Her Place in the World
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How do you go from being a judge to an opera singer?
When Irem Sak heard that she’d been selected for an opera workshop, she was as surprised as everyone else. How could a judge from Turkey have any reason to sing? The truth is, it started at age seven when her grandparents gave her voice lessons for fun. There was never any intention of a career; Irem loved music and singing, but if you’re going to sing, why not pursue something more serious? That made sense – until she ran into a friend who was auditioning for an opera workshop. Seeing her there led Irem on a path that included auditions and late-night practice sessions with classes three times a week after work.
Why should we pay attention?
A large part of Müge’s journey has been a transformative process that many women can relate to. We all want our lives and our careers to have purpose and be meaningful. From an early age, we’re taught that we need a college degree, a husband, kids, etc. Being an adult is difficult enough; so why should women still feel like they are constantly being compared to other women? It’s time for us as a society to redefine what it means to be successful. More importantly, it’s time for us as women to define success on our own terms. Irem Sak has done just that and she is encouraging others along with her.
Where did this journey begin?
As a child, Irem Sak was inspired by her father’s passion for astronomy and his stories of ancient civilizations. When she won a local beauty pageant, she left Turkey with hopes of one day appearing on TV, but soon realized that reality television wasn’t for her. Wanting more adventure and a chance to travel, she packed up and moved to Budapest where she worked as an actress for many years before finally landing small roles in Turkish movies. Despite acting gigs here and there, life was still feeling like a series of what ifs? so Irem set out on another journey—this time from Germany to her home country of Turkey.
What did she study and where?
When Irem decided she wanted to go to university, her parents didn’t understand why. It was a really big deal for my parents, because it was not tradition for women here [in Turkey] to be educated. So they asked me ‘what do you want? What do you want out of life? Do you want a job or do you want a family?’ And I told them that I wanted both.
What was her path like?
What does she think about the future of classical music?
