Countdown starts for Istanbul Opera and Ballet Festival
ISTANBUL
The 17th International Istanbul Opera and Ballet Festival, organized by the State Opera and Ballet Directorate, will kick off on May 21.
According to a statement from the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet (İDOB), 13 works, including productions staged by foreign artists and companies, will be presented in 22 performances for audiences of all ages.
İDOB will open the festival with the opera “Lucia Di Lammermoor,” which will meet audiences on May 21 at the Atatürk Cultural Center Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM) Türk Telekom Opera Stage.
Considered one of the masterpieces of Italian Romantic opera, the premiere will feature İDOB artists, orchestra, choir and ballet ensemble in a striking performance. Directed by world-renowned stage director Jean-Louis Grinda, the production will be restaged on May 23 and May 30.
Based on Sir Walter Scott’s novel “The Bride of Lammermoor,” with a libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, the work will be conducted alternately by Antonio Pirolli and Zdravko Lazarov. The İDOB choir will perform under the direction of Paolo Villa.
The contemporary dance piece “Pinocchio.exe: A Puppet for Chaotic Times” will be staged on May 22–24 at the Kadıköy Municipality Süreyya Opera House.
Reimagining Carlo Collodi’s classic tale in a technological, shadowy and contemporary world, the production will be performed by the İDOB Modern Dance Company (MDTİst).
The work is directed by choreographer Erica Silgoner, with music design by Murat Gökçe Özücoşkun.
The award ceremony and gala night of the “7th Istanbul International Ballet Competition,” closely followed by the international ballet world, will be held on June 1 within the festival.
Alongside performances by young dancers, the evening will feature stars who have danced on major world stages, including Efe Burak (principal dancer of Béjart Ballet), Anna Tsygankova (principal dancer of Dutch National Ballet), Giorgi Potskhishvili (principal dancer of Dutch National Ballet), and guest artists Maria Kochetkova and Daniil Simkin.
A baroque concert titled “Women of the Golden Age” will take place on June 1 at the Kadıköy Municipality Süreyya Opera Stage Süreyya Opera House. The concert will feature İDOB artists, conducted by guest maestro Giulio Prandi.
Soloists will perform on stage accompanied by Paolo Villa on harpsichord.
‘Swan Lake’ on June 3 and 10
The “Opera Studio Season Finale” concert, featuring young talents, will be held on June 2 at AKM.
Soloists from the “Opera Studio Istanbul Project Young Talents,” implemented by İDOB in the 2025–2026 season in cooperation with the Sedat-Güzin Gürel Foundation for Art and Science, will take the stage.
The ballet “Swan Lake,” staged by İDOB with the production of choreographer Ricardo Amarante, will be performed on June 3 and 10 at AKM.
The work presents the dramatic journey of a cursed princess torn between fate and love by the lakeside, brought to the stage with music, choreography and visual storytelling.
The character Suleika, immortalized in Goethe’s “West-Eastern Divan,” will come to life on June 3 at Süreyya Opera House with the concert “Suleika Lied Evening,” featuring Romantic-era lieder.
Guest artist soprano Carolina Ullrich will perform accompanied by pianist Ahmet Sait Karabulut.
The İDOB Modern Dance Istanbul Company will stage “Kız Doğdu/III” and “Hiç Kuş Yok” on June 4 at AKM. The world premiere of “Hiç Kuş Yok” will take place at the festival.
İDOB and guest artists from the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre will present “La Traviata” on June 5 and 6 at AKM.
The production will be conducted alternately by Eyyub Quliyev and Zdravko Lazarov.
The children’s production “The Little Prince” will be staged on June 6 and 10 at Süreyya Opera House.
On June 8, at AKM Türk Telekom Opera Stage Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM), İDOB will share the stage with the State Polyphonic Choir in the concert “Aurora.”
Mozart’s opera “The Abduction from the Seraglio” will be the closing production of the festival on June 8 and 9 at Süreyya Opera House.
The work, which explores themes of heroism, love, freedom and honor, will be staged with direction by Caner Akın and choreography by Tan Sağtürk.