In 1975 Gökmen was awarded with a scholarship by the Turkish Government to continue his studies on orchestra conducting in Rome.
Subsequently, he was admitted to the course for advanced studies in orchestra conducting in Santa Cecilia National Academy under the direction of Franco Ferrara.
His achievements qualified him to conduct a concert with Orchestra Nazionale dell’ Accademia di Santa Cecilia at Via della Conciliazione.
Meanwhile he also conducted concerts and made recordings in Turkey and in abroad with Izmir State Symphony Orchestra.
In 1999, Turkish Presidential Culture and Art Prize and in 2000, Gold Medal of "Foyer des Artistes" in Rome, Italy are presented to Gökmen.
He also serves as the supervisor of the İzmir Karşıyaka Municipality Chamber Orchestra, which was founded in 2015 and teaches conducting at Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory.