This summer, Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV) returns with a very special 51st anniversary of the Istanbul Music Festival taking place at several beautiful venues across the city and featuring over 60 artists, ensembles, and orchestras from Turkey and around the world. The occasion brings a renowned festival series that has much to offer for music lovers through Thursday June 1 – Saturday June 17. A full and detailed program of performances, as well as ticket information, is available via the official page for the Istanbul Music Festival.
From the organizer:
Proudly presenting only the best national and international artists for more than half a century…
AN ISTANBUL CLASSIC
Türkiye’s longest-established music event and the very first festival organised by Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), this year’s Istanbul Music Festival takes place between 1-17 June under the sponsorship of Borusan Holding.
51st ISTANBUL MUSIC FESTIVAL
1–17 JUNE 2023
The 51st Istanbul Music Festival is hosting over 60 artists, featuring world’s top orchestras and ensembles such as Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Tekfen Philharmonic, Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic, Camerata Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Borusan Quartet and soloists such as Anne-Sophie Mutter, Barbara Hannigan, Fazıl Say, Arabella Steinbacher, Nicolas Altstaedt, Matthias Goerne and Avi Avital in a total of 25 live performances.
The programme features brand new projects developed for 2023, which marks the 100th anniversary of the Republic; some of them are commissioned works inspired by historical female figures in Anatolia, traditional Turkish Classical music, original tango pieces from the early period of the Republic, and interdisciplinary performances presenting top soloists of the contemporary classical world and internationally-acclaimed orchestras. The festival features 8 world premieres and 4 Turkish premieres.
MAJOR ENSEMBLES AND STAR SOLOISTS
OPENING CONCERT: TEKFEN PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA & JAN LISIECKI
The festival starts off with a magnificent collaboration between young Canadian piano virtuoso Jan Lisiecki and the Tekfen Philharmonic Orchestra, performing Hasan Uçarsu’s orchestral suite and Chopin’s first concerto, conducted by Aziz Shokhakimov at the iconic Atatürk Cultural Centre. This year’s Honorary Award will be presented to Hasan Uçarsu before the concert.
BORUSAN feat. BARBARA HANNIGAN & LUCIENNE RENAUDIN VARY
As one of the leading contemporary opera stars, Canadian soprano Barbara Hannigan performs an unconventional repertoire of Ives, Haydn, Schoenberg and Gershwin in Istanbul for the first time while conducting one of the country’s finest orchestras, Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic.
The award-winning young trumpeter Lucienne Renaudin Vary teams up with Türkiye’s foremost chamber orchestra, Borusan Quartet for the first time to perform a dynamic repertoire of Piazzolla, Ginastera, Satie, and Dvořák at the historical Süreyya Opera House with the support of Borusan Holding as the Performance Sponsor with Higher Contribution.
ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER & MUTTER’S VIRTUOSI
Living legend of violin, Anne-Sophie Mutter and her most talented orchestra of young musicians Mutter’s Virtuosi perform an intricate repertoire ranging from Bach, Vivaldi to the Turkish premiere of the late great André Previn’s Nonet for Two String Quartets and Double Bass on an unforgettable night of masterful music at the iconic Atatürk Cultural Centre with the support of Mercedes-Benz Otomotiv. This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Anne-Sophie Mutter before the concert.
MUNICH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA & NICOLAS ALTSTAEDT
As one of the most sought-after cellists today, Nicolas Altstaedt returns to Istanbul for the festival. Joined by the Munich Chamber Orchestra, the renowned German-French musician gives a dynamic performance at the height of his virtuosity, featuring works of C.P.E. Bach, Veress, Azarashvili, and Bartók. The concert will be held with the support of Türkiye İş Bankası.
MOZARTEUM ORCHESTRA SALZBURG & ARABELLA STEINBACHER
On a night entirely dedicated to Mozart, German violin virtuoso Arabella Steinbacher and Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg perform three masterful compositions of the Austrian genius under the baton of Matthew Halls at Istanbul’s state-of-the-art concert hall, Ataturk Cultural Centre.
LES VENTS FRANÇAIS & ÉRIC LE SAGE
French winds blow through Istanbul, as one of the world’s most prominent pianists Éric Le Sage, and France’s leading wind quintet Les Vents Français come together at Palais de France with the support of STONELINE to perform an exquisite repertoire inspired by their French classical heritage featuring the works of Ibert, Ravel, Saint-Saëns, and Poulenc.
CAMERATA ROYAL CONCERTGEBOUW ORCHESTRA & MATTHIAS GOERNE
As one of the most distinguished baritones in today’s classical world, Gramophone and ECHO Klassik Award winner Matthias Goerne leads the Netherlands’ Camerata Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra with prime works of German Lied tradition by Schubert, Brahms, Schumann, Dvořák ve Wolf at the country’s one of the major venues, Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall with the support of ENKA Foundation.
A WIDE ARRAY OF VENUES
This year’s festival spans across 18 venues. The festival artists will grace the stages of remarkable places such as; Atatürk Cultural Centre, Babylon, Balat Seashore Akşemsettin Park, Bulgarian St. Stephen Church, Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall, Fenerbahçe Park, Four Seasons Bosphorus Atik Pasha Terrace, Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Theatre, İş Towers Hall, Mevlanakapı Land Walls Visitor Centre, Palais de France, Phanar Greek Orthodox College, Rahmi M. Koç Museum, Saint Benoît High School, St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, Süreyya Opera House, The Basilica Cistern, and Zorlu Performing Arts Center.
GEMS BEYOND CLASSICAL
Transcending the realms of Classical and Jazz, power duo Omer Klein and Alexej Gerassimez perform their original compositions inspired by Igor Stravinsky’s era-defining masterpiece, The Firebird at Four Seasons Bosphorus Atik Pasha Terrace with the support of Nobel İlaç.
Internationally-acclaimed Turkish cello virtuoso Jamal Aliyev and Germany’s one-of-a-kind ensemble Orchester Im Treppenhaus perform back-to-back in Classical Disco, which offers a unique performance experience that blends classical music and club culture at Babylon.
The Sound in the Courtyard offers the quintessential Turkish Classical Music performance by the late great İhsan Özgen’s acclaimed Anatolia Ensemble of the country’s preeminent virtuosi featuring his daughters Neva Özgen and Yelda Özgen along with the qanun player Safinaz Rizeli and the oud player Yurdal Tokcan at the recently restored Mevlanakapı Land Walls Visitor Centre.
Known for their fresh approach and adventurous performances, American contemporary string quartet Brooklyn Rider joins forces with the Grammy-nominated Israeli mandolin virtuoso Avi Avital to explore musical boundaries in a new collaborative project that features 3 Turkish premieres at Rahmi M. Koç Museum with the support of Işıklar Holding.
HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED WORLD PREMIERES & COMMISSIONED WORKS
Inspired by the works of Turkish female poets, the 51st Istanbul Music Festival holds the world premiere of piano virtuoso Fazıl Say’s long-anticipated new project, featuring the acclaimed mezzo-soprano Serenad Bağcan, Accompanied by Volkan Hürsever on double bass and Ferit Odman on drums, the duo will perform at Atatürk Cultural Centre and Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Theatre on two nights.
Composer Michael Ellison’s fascinating multidisciplinary music theatre adaptation of literary giant Yaşar Kemal’s masterpiece, The Legend of The Thousand Bulls holds its world premiere at Süreyya Opera House with the support of Berrin Erengül and Eva Barlas.
The world premiere of a new composition in three parts composed by Meriç Artaç, Kate Moore, and Aida Shirazi, as a dedication to historical and mythological female figures, They Have Waited Long Enough brings on forgotten women’s stories from the Anatolian heartland at the mystical Basilica Cistern with the support of STONELINE. Istanbul Music Festival co-commissioned the project alongside Wonderfeel Festival and Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. The night features soprano Katharine Dain, Nemeth Quartet, Raphaëla Danksagmüller, Elif Canfeza Gündüz, Esra Berkman and librettist Ece Temelkuran.
Joined by the rising violin virtuoso Veriko Tchumburidze, Women Stars of Tomorrow: Young Women Musicians Support Fund presents this year’s promising musicians by celebrating their talent with a special fundraising concert at Süreyya Opera House. The programme includes the world premiere of composer Cem Esen’s new work dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Republic for cello and piano A Piece to Joy, co-commissioned with TSKB.
Tango of the Republic celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye by paying homage to the legendary Turkish tango composers Necip Celal Andel, Fehmi Ege, Necdet Koyutürk and İbrahim Özgür of the Early Republic Period at the courtyard of Saint Benoît High School. Featuring the Milli Reasürans Chamber Orchestra, the concert holds the world premiere of two tango pieces, arranged by the conductor and composer Hasan Niyazi Tura with the support of Milli Reasürans and Elvan Tuğsuz Güven.
MUSIC ROUTE: A MUSICAL EXPLORATION ON THE AGE-OLD STREETS OF BALAT
Known as the festival’s annual day trip, this year’s Music Route sets out to explore the historical neighborhood of Balat, that is home to some of the city’s awe-inspiring places of worship, with the support of Meke. Spectrum Saxophone Quartet, harpist Güneş Hızlılar, Duo Ciampa-Piccotti, and The Sárközy Trio feat. János Balázs will perform at Saint Stephen’s Bulgarian Orthodox Church (The Iron Church), Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, Private Fener Greek Orthodox School. The route will end with a free of charge concert at the park on Balat Waterfront.
TICKETS
Festival tickets are available ranging from 200 to 1.080 Turkish Liras. All students are eligible for a special price as low as 10 Turkish Liras. Ticket-holders can enter events by presenting their PDF ticket sent to their email address or stored under My Tickets section on the website of the festival’s official ticket provider, Passo.
Priority ticket sales for Tulip Card members: 20-23 March
General sale: Friday, 24 March
All ticket-holders are advised to arrive at venue 30 minutes prior to event.
Festival programme: muzik.iksv.org/en/programme
Festival supporters: muzik.iksv.org/en/supporters
High-resolution images: iksvphoto.com
Tickets are available at passo.com.tr/en
For media inquiries, please contact at media@iksv.org
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About İKSV (Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts)
Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) is a non-profit cultural institution founded in 1973 with the sole purpose of enriching Istanbul’s cultural and artistic life. Every year, the Foundation organises highly anticipated festivals of Music, Film, Theatre and Jazz; the Istanbul Biennial and the week-long Filmekimi. It hosts cultural events and artistic performances in various disciplines throughout the year at its home venue Salon İKSV, located at the Nejat Eczacıbaşı Building. İKSV also offers a creative events program for kids and teenagers at IKSV Alt Kat.
İKSV organises the Türkiye Pavilion at the International Art and Architecture Exhibitions of La Biennale di Venezia. Conducting studies and drafts reports with the aim of contributing to cultural policy development, the Foundation also supports artistic and cultural productions by presenting awards at the festivals, commissioning works, taking part in international and local co-productions, and the artist residency program at Cité Internationale des Arts in France, as well as the annual Aydın Gün Encouragement, Talât Sait Halman Translation, and Gülriz Sururi-Engin Cezzar Theatre Encouragement Awards.
This year, with financial support from the European Union, İKSV launched an extensive project called Ortaklaşa: Culture, Dialogue and Support Programme, which aims to promote dialogue and collaboration between local governments and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) operating in the field of culture and arts in Türkiye. İKSV also recently created the Instrument Fund for the Earthquake Region by allocating a sum from its 2023 budget to provide instruments to music students and instructors affected by the earthquakes that took place in February.
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For more information and ticket details, be sure to keep up with the official page for the IKSV Music Festival.
Content courtesy of IKSV.
