Istanbul Music Festival, organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) under the sponsorship of E.C.A. Presdöküm Sanayii A.Ş., will be held from 11 to 30 June 2019. 
The festival, which celebrates its 47th edition, presents a programme built around this year’s theme Darkness of Being, Lightness of Being.
The 47th Istanbul Music Festival announced its programme at a press meeting on Tuesday, 5 February at Boğaziçi University Rectorate Conference Hall. The speakers comprised Chairman of İKSV Bülent Eczacıbaşı, Chairwoman of the Elginkan Community and Chairwoman of E.C.A. Presdöküm Sanayii A.Ş. Gaye Akçen, Deputy Director General of İKSV Yeşim Gürer Oymak, and Director of the Istanbul Music Festival Efruz Çakırkaya.
In his speech at the press meeting, Chairman of İKSV Bülent Eczacıbaşı said: “The 47th Istanbul Music Festival features celebrated soloists, young talent, large orchestras, widely-anticipated musical ensembles, classical music favourites, and national and world premieres of new compositions. The energy, music, culture and art of the festival season is once again before us, preparing to enrich our lives with its light and colour. As in past years, we are excited to offer free admission to all students at conservatories and to make it possible for another 2,000 university students to attend festival events, maybe for the first time in their lives, through the İKSV Culture&Art Card program. In addition to increasing young people’s access to cultural life, we are delighted to continue our support of young musicians. This year, at the opening of the 47th Istanbul Music Festival, we will present the 2018 Aydın Gün Encouragement Award to the young pianist Can Çakmur. On behalf of the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts, I would like to convey our deepest gratitude to the festival audiences and all the musicians taking part this year, to our Festival Sponsor E.C.A. Presdöküm Sanayii A.Ş. for its invaluable support, and to all other institutions and organizations that have contributed to the realization of the 47th Istanbul Music Festival.”
In her speech, Chairwoman of the Elginkan Community and Chairwoman of E.C.A. Presdöküm Sanayii A.Ş. Gaye Akçen said:
“As the Elginkan Community, it is among our basic principles to be together with art, the artists and the art lovers, to make room for beauty and to support the development of art. In line with these principles, we are happy to be the festival sponsor of the İstanbul Music Festival for the 4th time this year. In light of our great leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s words: “A nation without art has lost one of its vital vessels,” we are going to work hard to ensure the lightness of being is stronger than the darkness of being; together we will enhance the good, happiness and light. We will continue to support art, education, culture, and economy. We will use the power of music in the enlightenment journey. As every year, we will listen to music that improves our spirits and we will go on a journey of unique existence. My wish, as in our slogan, is to be on this meaningful journey “Together for years.”
Delivering the details of the festival’s programme and theme, Director of the Istanbul Music Festival Efruz Çakırkaya said: “This year, the Istanbul Music Festival hosts 22 concerts in 15 venues with 150 pieces from the masters of Baroque music Bach, Vivaldi and Handel to one of the most striking composers of the 20th century, Shostakovich; from klezmer induced jazz to the richness of Ottoman classical music. I would like to extend my thanks to our festival sponsor E.C.A. Presdöküm Sanayii A.Ş., as well as to all institutions who contributed in the realisation of the festival.”
Festival will take place across 15 venues for 20 days
Istanbul Music Festival will host music lovers in 15 venues in Istanbul such as the Hagie Eirene Museum, Boğaziçi University Albert Long Hall, İş Sanat Concert Hall, Lütfi Kırdar Convention and Exhibition Centre, Rahmi M. Koç Museum, Süreyya Opera House, Zorlu PSM, Grand Bazaar and Neve Shalom Synagogue.
Additionally, the Music Route will be held in Istanbul’s historical neighbourhood Samatya at Dormition of Theotokos Panagia Altımermer, Surp Anarad Higutyun Armenian Catholic Church, Hagia Constantine Greek Orthodox Church, and Narlıkapı Surp Hovhannes Armenian Church where each concert will offer repertoires specially chosen to suit the spirit of the venue. The free festival events Weekend Classics will be held at the Garden of Austrian Cultural Forum and, for the first time, Galata Tower Square.
This year’s festival theme: Darkness of Being, Lightness of Being
In its 47th year, the Istanbul Music Festival with its theme “Darkness of Being, Lightness of Being” focuses on the dualities in life such as good-bad, happiness-sadness, birth-death, and their impact on music and its creation process. The festival aims to emphasise the importance of music as a means to enlightenment in times of darkness.
Winner of the Chopin Competition to open the festival
This year, the opening concert of the Istanbul Music Festival will feature the young pianist Seong-Jin Cho, winner of the 17th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition, who will be accompanied by the Tekfen Philharmonic Orchestra; festival’s Opening Concert Orchestra for 2019-2022. The 24 year-old Seong-Jin Cho has risen fast on the international arena since 2015, playing with prestigious orchestras around the world and receiving rave reviews for his albums. The pianist, who will make his Turkey debut at the festival’s opening night, reunites with conductor Aziz Shokhakimov after their performance with the RAI National Symphony Orchestra last year.
The opening ceremony and concert of the 47th Istanbul Music Festival will take place at Lütfi Kırdar Convention and Exhibition Centre on the evening of 11 June.
Festival’s Honorary Award goes to conductor Prof. Rengim Gökmen
The 47th Istanbul Music Festival’s Honorary Award will be presented to the conductor Prof. Rengim Gökmen.
Gökmen started his music education at a very early age under the supervision of his mother, soprano Muazzez Gökmen, and went on to study piano and composition at the Ankara State Conservatoire. Upon graduation, he was sent to Italy by the Turkish government to further his studies. He studied conducting as Franco Ferrara’s student first at the Santa Cecilia Conservatoire and then at the Chigiana Academy in Siena and Santa Cecilia National Academy, graduating with high honours from all three schools. After furthering his studies in Austria, England, and the Netherlands, Gökmen won the Gino Marinuzzi International Conducting Competition in San Remo in 1980, a great success which put him on the international podium, conducting orchestras throughout Europe and in the USA and South America.
Rengim Gökmen served as the Ankara State Opera and Ballet General Music Director between 1984 and 1989 and as the State Opera and Ballet General Director first between 1992 and 1995 and then between 2007 and 2014. During his tenures as General Director, Gökmen launched the Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival and the Istanbul International Opera Festival. He was the İzmir State Symphony Orchestra Music Director between 1991 and 2006, during which he conducted numerous concerts, recorded many albums, and toured both home and abroad. He was honoured with the State Artist title in Turkey and with a Cavalleria medal in Italy, both in 1998. He received the Turkish Presidency Culture and Arts Grand Award in 1999.
Rengim Gökmen is currently the music director of the Presidential State Symphony Orchestra and founder/principal conductor of the Doğuş Children’s Symphony Orchestra. He also serves as the supervisor of the İzmir Karşıyaka Municipality Chamber Orchestra, which was founded in 2015 and teaches conducting at the Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatoire. Prof. Rengim Gökmen will be presented the Honorary Award at the opening ceremony of the festival.
Festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award goes to Yuri Bashmet
The Lifetime Achievement Award of the festival will be presented to Yuri Bashmet, who was described by The Times as ‘without doubt, one of the world’s greatest living musicians’. The pre-eminent violist of the modern age, he has motivated the leading composers of our time to expand the repertoire with significant new music. He has performed with all the world’s great orchestras, including the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Boston, Chicago and Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, New York Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, and with the London Symphony Orchestra, which presented its own Yuri Bashmet Festival. Bashmet is the Artistic Director of the December Nights Festival, Moscow, Principal Conductor of the Novaya Rossiya State Symphony Orchestra, and founder/director of Moscow Soloists.
Yuri Bashmet and Moscow Soloists will premiere 3/7/12, a co-commissioned work with Sochi Festival to the composer Alexander Tchaikovsky at a special concert sponsored by Türkiye İş Bankası at Hagia Eirene Museum on 20 June at this year’s festival.
Festival contributes to artistic production with two special commissions
Istanbul Music Festival has been commissioning local and international composers since 2011 with a view to supporting artistic production. This year the festival continues to support contemporary music with two commissions and hosts their world premieres. The commission to the Turkish composer Zeynep Gedizlioğlu funded by Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation, will be performed by the piano duo Ufuk and Bahar Dördüncü on 14 June at Süreyya Opera House.
Zeynep Gedizlioğlu studied composition abroad with various grants she received. She worked at IRCAM on electroacoustic music in Paris and conducted masterclasses in several universities both in Turkey and abroad. Her compositions were performed at international festivals such as ‘Musica’ Strasbourg, ISCM World New Music Days’, Maerz Musik, Ultraschall Berlin, Beethovenfest Bonn, Eclat Stuttgart, Wien Modern, Wittener Tage für Neue Kammermusik, Salzburger Festspiele, Musikprotokoll Steirischer Herbst Graz, Cresc Biennale in Frankfurt, G((o))ng Tomorrow’ in Copenhagen and Festival Sound State in London. Gedizlioğlu received Ernst von Siemens Composer Prize in 2012, and Heidelberg Female Artist Award in 2018.
Ufuk and Bahar Dördüncü have been contributing to the enrichment of the 20th and 21st century piano repertoire through their research and new projects. With a repertoire ranging from Shostakovich and Gedizlioğlu to Brahms’s love songs, Berlin RIAS Chamber Choir and Ufuk & Bahar Dördüncü concert will be at the Süreyya Opera House on Friday, 14 June under the sponsorship of ENKA Foundation.
The other work 3/7/12, which is a co-commission with Sochi Festival to one of the most productive composers of our time, Alexander Tchaikovsky, will receive its world premiere by Yuri Bashmet and Moscow Soloists at Hagia Eirene Museum on 20 June. A recipient of many international awards, Alexander Tchaikovsky’s works were performed at the world’s most distinguished concert halls. Tchaikovsky’s extensive oeuvre ranges from operas and ballets to oratorios and symphonies and chamber music.
The recipient of this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Yuri Bashmet and his Moscow Soloists, which has given more than 2,000 concerts in more than 55 countries in five continents since its foundation and won the Grammy Award in 2008, becoming the first Russian chamber orchestra to win this award, will give this world premiere at a concert sponsored by Türkiye İş Bankası on Wednesday, 20 June at Hagia Eirene Museum.
Music Route in Istanbul’s historical neighbourhood Samatya
Organised for the fourth time in the festival, the Music Route will take listeners on a musical journey where one can explore the neighbourhood Samatya, one of the most multicultural neighbourhoods of Istanbul. Originally a fishing village, Samatya is a historical district where Turks, Greeks, Armenians and Jews live together to this day. The Music Route’s stops this year are the Dormition of Theotokos Panagia Altımermer, Surp Anarad Higutyun Armenian Catholic Church, Hagia Constantine Greek Orthodox Church, and Narlıkapı Surp Hovhannes Armenian Church where each concert will offer repertoires specially chosen to suit the spirit of the venue. Sponsored by bluechip Creative Events, the Music Route will take place on Sunday, 16 June accompanied by professional guides giving information about Samatya’s past and present.
Sensational pianist Yuja Wang will be the guest of the festival
Celebrated for her charismatic artistry and captivating stage presence, the Beijing-born pianist Yuja Wang will offer music enthusiasts an unforgettable evening at the Lütfi Kırdar Convention and Exhibition Centre on the evening of Saturday, 15 June with the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Gustavo Gimeno.
Considered as one of the most unique and glamorous pianists in the world, Yuja Wang has been touring with remarkable orchestras all over the world since she gave her first concert in 2005 with the National Arts Center Orchestra under the baton of Pinchas Zucherman. Wang, who started this season with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, was on stage with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra at a concert commemorating the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. This season sees her performing with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra at Versailles, as well as the Summer Night Concert Schönbrunn with Gustavo Dudamel, among others. She is also a nominee for this year’s Grammy Awards.
The Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra, making its Istanbul Music Festival debut under the baton of Gustavo Gimeno, has worked with distinguished conductors and soloists from all over the world since its establishment in 1933, as well as going on tours in Europe, Asia and America. The records of the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra has received many awards, including Grammy, Diapason d’Or, Chocdu Monde de la Musique and Charles Cros.
Festival’s “Weekend Classics” concerts
The free festival events that have already become a tradition where Istanbulite music lovers start the weekend with classical music, the Weekend Classics concerts will be held at the Garden of Austrian Cultural Forum and Galata Tower Square this year. Presenting a collection of Renaissance era music from England and France, the first concert of the Weekend Classics will be held on Saturday, 15 June at 11.00 at the Garden of Austrian Cultural Forum, with the recorder trio Vivid Consort. The members of the Vivid Consort give life to the music of past times through their mastery on their instruments and vocal skills as well as their energetic stage presence. The second concert of the Weekend Classics will take place at the historical Galata Tower Square on the morning of Saturday, 29 June at 11.00 with the participation of Turkey’s first and longest-running brass quintet, the 15-year-old Golden Horn Brass. Recipient of the Chamber Ensemble of the Year award in the Donizetti Classical Music Awards, Golden Horn Brass’ colourful and varied repertoire of extends from the baroque to contemporary pieces and from jazz to pop music.
Chamber Music with Stars
Festival’s concert series where stars of the classical music meet with the audience, Chamber Music with Stars will present two special concerts this year.
As the world is already getting ready for the 2020 Beethoven Year, the festival will feature the great composer in its programmes. The distinguished Beethoven interpreters Faust, Queyras, and Melnikov will perform together at the first concert of Chamber Music with the Stars İş Sanat Concert Hall with the sponsorship of Nobel İlaç on Sunday, 16 June.
The second concert will present two of the greatest Russian musicians of our time: Alexander Kniazev and Boris Berezovsky, who will salute Strauss, Shostakovich and Rachmaninov at the concert and to be held at İş Sanat Concert Hall on Tuesday, 18 June.
A multi-dimensional music experience: “Human Requiem”
Rundfunkchor Berlin turns Brahms’s German Requiem into an unconventional experience, where the division between stage and audience is torn down and music is up close and personal. In this performance, audience is in the middle of music, with a whole new set of relationships between text, people, space and sound; moving with music and becoming a part of it. Ever since its premiere in February 2012, Human Requiem has been making its way triumphantly around the globe, with stops in New York, Hong Kong, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Athens and Granada with the staging of Jochen Sandig, abolishing the traditional concert experience.
Three-time Grammy winners Rundfunkchor Berlin perform 60 concerts and international tours in the season. The repertory full of warm and rich nuances and its absolute accuracy and unmistakable ability to try new things for 94 years make the choir many international orchestras’ and conductors’ choice. Rundfunkchor Berlin is also the permanent partner of the Berliner Philharmoniker as well as Berlin’s Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester.
Human Requiem, which refers to the theme of the festival Darkness of Being, Lightness of Being, will be performed on the evening of the Friday, 28 June and Saturday, 29 June at Zorlu PSM Turkcell Stage.
Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra joins forces with three bright young stars
Towards the Year of Beethoven, the composer’s only concerto written for more than one solo instrument, the Triple Concerto will meet with music lovers under the sponsorship of Borusan Holding at the Lütfi Kırdar Convention and Exhibition Center on Saturday, 22 June with the interpretation of today’s brightest stars of the music world: Valeriy Sokolov, Narek Hakhnazaryan and Yulianna Avdeeva. In the concert, Efdal Altun and Çağ Erçağ will also perform Strauss’s Don Quixote.
Festival will close with Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra and Fazıl Say
Fazıl Say, who has impressed the listeners and critics all over the world for more than 25 years, will perform at the closing concert of the festival with the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Liang Zhang. Praised as “one of the most important artists of the 21st century” by Le Figaro, Fazıl Say has given countless concerts in five continents and performed as a soloist in the most remarkable orchestras of Europe and United States. Say, who was also the composer in residence at Dresdner Philharmonie, scored great success with his first symphony, the Istanbul Symphony, premiered in 2010 at the conclusion of his five-year residency at the Konzerthaus Dortmund. In 2016, his recording of all of Mozart sonatas was released, for which Say received his fourth ECHO KLASSIK Award. In 2016, Say was awarded the International Beethoven Prize for Human Rights, Peace, Freedom, Poverty Reduction and Inclusion and in 2017, he was awarded the Music Prize of the city of Duisburg.
At the closing concert, Say will perform Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto, a piece he recorded with Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra under Gianandrea Noseda in 2014. This concert will not only see the pianist pay a tribute to the grand composer towards the 2020 Beethoven Year, but also mark the Turkey debut of China’s strong representative in classical music, the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra.
Festival continues to support future women musicians with the “Women Stars of Tomorrow: Young Women Musicians Support Fund”
In the previous edition, the festival initiated a new project to support the next generation of women musicians. Women Stars of Tomorrow: Young Women Musicians Support Fund is launched in collaboration with TSKB (Türkiye Sınai Kalkınma Bankası) and the contribution of the audiences to advance the international career of gifted musicians in the branches of instrument, singing, and conducting.
The project is open to young Turkish women musicians who seek for financial support to study abroad or for various activities to further their careers. The selection committee, presided by the Deputy Director General of İKSV, musicologist Yeşim Gürer Oymak comprises violinist and conductor Hakan Şensoy, pianists Ufuk and Bahar Dördüncü, clarinetist Ayşegül Kirmanoğlu, and composer Özkan Manav. The recipients will be announced on Monday, 15 April following the decision of the selection committee.
The young women musicians selected for support will then make their appearance at a concert on 25 June at Boğaziçi University Albert Long Hall, where they will share the stage with the master of violin Ayla Erduran as the opinion leader and guest artist. At the Pre-Concert Talk moderated by journalist and author Murat Yetkin, Öznur Alamur, national paralympic athlete, and Dr. Gözde Durmuş, a researcher at Stanford University will tell their personal success stories.
Applications for the support fund can be made until 15 March at destekbasvuru@iksv.org. For more information on Young Women Musicians Support Fund: http://www.iksv.org/en
Projects for children and youth with the collaboration of Istanbul Music Festival and IKSV Alt Kat
- Birlikte Güçlü Sesler Chorus
Istanbul Music Festival and İKSV Alt Kat, with the support of Istanbul Development Agency, is initiating the Birlikte Güçlü Sesler Chorus, a project aimed for children and youth. Inspired by the White Hands Choir within El Sistema, Birlikte Güçlü Sesler Chorus will bring children and youth with disabilities together with the Music for Peace Chorus. In the chorus, some members will sing the songs, while others accompany with sign language. The chorus will be conducted by Zeynep Eren Kovankaya, whereas Buket Ela Demirel and İpek Aktaşlı will be working on performing the songs in sign language, as well as rhythm harmony and choreography. Birlikte Güçlü Sesler Chorus will be realised with the kind collaborations of Parıltı Foundation for the Support of Visually Impaired Children, Solidarity Association of Turkey for the Deaf, Turkish National Federation of the Deaf, Turkey Hearing Impaired Association and Music for Peace Foundation.
Birlikte Güçlü Sesler Chorus, which will carry on their works at İKSV Alt Kat: Learning and Interaction Space, will meet the audience at a mini concert before Human Requiem on Saturday, 29 June at Zorlu PSM Amfi.
- 47th Istanbul Music Festival’s Children’s Book
The festival will publish a children’s book with the support of the Bernard Van Leer Foundation. Written by Göknil Özkök Sezener and edited by Burcu Ural Kopan under the academic consultancy of Boğaziçi University Psychology Department Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Feyza Çorapçı, the book aims to introduce children to the basic elements of music in a fun story set in festival venues.
The book will be published in Turkish, English and Arabic and will be distributed free of charge in selected bookstores as well as in the festival venues. During the festival, various workshops related to the book will be organised at some of the festival venues and also at İKSV Alt Kat: Learning and Interaction Space.
With the support of the Bernard van Leer Foundation and the project coordination of İKSV Alt Kat, İKSV will continue to publish children’s books for its festivals and biennials, organise special events, reading and workshops, as well as various trainings, seminars and meetings focusing on childhood throughout 2019 as part of the Early Childhood Development and Culture & Arts project.
Festival tickets go on sale on Saturday, 16 February
Tickets for the 47th Istanbul Music Festival will be on sale as of 10.30 on Saturday, 16 February and can be purchased through Biletix retail outlets, Biletix Call Centre (+90 216 556 98 00), Biletix web site (www.biletix.com) and İKSV’s Main Box Office (The main box office is open between 10.00 – 18.00 and is closed on Sundays, except for 17 February.)
Tulip Card holders have special discounts of up to 25% and can also purchase priority tickets. Black and White Tulip members can purchase their tickets on 11 and 12 February, while Red, Yellow and Orange Tulip members can purchase their tickets on 13, 14 and 15 February. For more details and advantages of the Tulip Card membership: https://www.iksv.org/en/membership-and-support/tulip-card-membership-programme
Conservatory students from music and opera departments attend festival concerts free-of-charge
Students of the music and opera departments of conservatories attend the Istanbul Music Festival concerts free-of-charge. Students will need to receive reservation approval by sending an e-mail to rezervasyon@iksv.org, including their name and student certificates one day prior to the concert that they would like to attend. Reservations will be approved on the basis of available capacity.
The 47th Istanbul Music Festival programme booklet is available on muzik.iksv.org/en, at İKSV Kitaplık application, İKSV Box Office (Nejat Eczacıbaşı Building, Sadi Konuralp Caddesi No: 5, Şişhane) and Biletix retail outlets.
Istanbul Music Festival will welcome students with IKSV Culture&Art Card
With the support of its co-founder and leading sponsor Eczacıbaşı Group, İKSV launched the Culture&Art project which presented 2000 university students aged 18-25 a 250 TL worth card valid in all events organised by İKSV throughout the year. Recipients of the İKSV Culture&Art Card will also be able to use their cards in the 47th Istanbul Music Festival.
Supporters of the 47th Istanbul Music Festival
The 47th Istanbul Music Festival is organised with the support of several performance sponsors, in addition to Festival Sponsor E.C.A. Presdöküm Sanayii A.Ş.
Performance sponsors include Tekfen Foundation, Mercedes-Benz Türk AŞ, FIAT, Borusan Holding, Türkiye İş Bankası, ENKA Foundation, SEREL, Nobel İlaç, STONELINE, Işıklar Holding, bluechip Creative Events, Berrin Erengül, Eva Barlas, Bell Holding, Organik Holding.
Additionally, Tekfen Foundation supports the festival with Tekfen Philharmonic Orchestra as the festival’s Opening Concert Orchestra in 2019-2022.
TSKB (Türkiye Sınai Kalkınma Bankası) supports the festival as the Education Support Fund Sponsor.
The 47th Istanbul Music Festival is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Governorship of Istanbul, the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, the Beyoğlu District Governorship, Beşiktaş Municipality, Beyoğlu Municipality, and Kadıköy Municipality.
The festival takes place with the kind collaborations of Armenian Catholic Church of Turkey, Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey, Austrian Cultural Forum, Biletix, Boğaziçi University, Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Istanbul, Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation, Fatih Municipality, Goethe Institut, Grand Bazaar, Istanbul Greek Patriarchate, İş Sanat, Istituto Italiano di Cultura, The Kingdom of the Netherlands, Neve Shalom Sephardi Synagogues Foundation, Rahmi M. Koç Museum, Süreyya Opera House and Turkish-Russian Social Forum.
The Founding Sponsor of the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts is Eczacıbaşı Group, İKSV Official Hotel Sponsor is The Marmara Collection, the Carrier Sponsor is DHL, the Insurance Sponsor is Zurich Insurance Group, and the Service Sponsors are Navitas, GFK and AGC.
The publicity campaign for the 47th Istanbul Music Festival was created by TBWA.
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