New season at AKM

ISTANBUL

The Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM), home to opera, ballet, theater, visual arts and music, will once again be one of the most dynamic venues in Istanbul’s cultural life in the new season.

Reopened on Oct. 29, 2021, after an extensive renovation led by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, AKM has evolved beyond a performance venue into a multilayered cultural complex that reflects the city’s artistic pulse.

In the coming season, AKM will host a broad spectrum of events, ranging from interdisciplinary projects and international productions to exhibitions and programs for children and young people.

AKM Artistic Director Remzi Buharalı shared details of the center’s new season vision with state-run Anadolu Agency.

Buharalı said many productions staged last season by the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet (İDOB) and the Istanbul State Theater will continue to meet audiences at AKM, alongside concerts by ensembles affiliated with the Culture and Tourism Ministry’s General Directorate of Fine Arts.

He noted that the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra continues to host distinguished conductors and soloists from Türkiye and abroad at its Friday concerts, while the Saturday Coffee Concerts have also drawn strong interest.

Pointing to İDOB’s new season highlights, Buharalı said the Turkish opera “Edusa” will have its world premiere. “This work will be performed for the first time. Its music and subject are particularly intriguing,” he said, adding that the libretto was written by İskender Pala and the production is directed by Caner Akın, who staged last season’s “Gilgamesh” opera.

He also said the popular ballet “The Nutcracker” will once again be staged around the New Year, while Donizetti’s opera “Lucia di Lammermoor” is scheduled to meet audiences in the first months of the year.

Buharalı said guest theater productions will also take the stage at AKM, including “Don Quixote,” directed by Işıl Kasapoğlu and starring Selçuk Yöntem and Zuhal Olcay, as well as the BKM-DOT co-production “Pride and Prejudice [sort of].”

He added that the Presidential Turkish Music Choir will mark its 50th anniversary this year with a repertoire spanning different periods of musical history.

Highlighting AKM’s technological capabilities, Buharalı said the venue has attracted strong international interest. He noted that many international ensembles apply to perform there and that visiting artists frequently speak about AKM’s facilities after returning abroad.

He detailed the main stage’s technical features, including a usable stage area expanding from 200 to 400 square meters, four elevators, a revolving stage and side wings, bringing the total stage area to around 2,000 square meters. The orchestra pit, he said, can accommodate up to 85 musicians.

Programs for future artists

Buharalı announced that renowned tenor Yusif Eyvazov will give a concert at AKM on April 1, 2026, and said the center’s acoustics have proven highly successful for both theater and opera.

Stressing the responsibility involved in annual programming, he said AKM does not focus solely on adult audiences. “At the Children’s Art Center within AKM, we organize various workshops to nurture future artists and help children develop self-confidence,” he said, adding that the program also includes children’s plays and youth concerts.

Buharalı said AKM also carries out accessible theater, concert and exhibition projects for people with disabilities and regularly hosts works by artists with disabilities, particularly in the field of visual arts.

He noted that AKM’s exhibition halls have hosted blockbuster shows by world-renowned artists, including a Pablo Picasso exhibition last year and works by Salvador Dalí this year. Exhibitions by Henri Matisse and the “Five Wonders of the Şakir Paşa Family” have also drawn strong interest.

Since reopening, AKM has seen consistently high visitor numbers, Buharalı said. “Especially during the Culture Route Festival, AKM experiences a major influx of visitors. Around 7,000 people enter and exit the center daily,” he said, adding that total visitor numbers this year have approached 3 million.