Curtain set to rise on Istanbul Opera Festival

ISTANBUL

The 6th International Istanbul Opera Festival, organized by the General Directorate of State Opera and Ballet, will open on June 8 with the famous “Abduction from Seraglio,” which has become a symbol of the festival.

The opera will also be staged on June 9 by the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet at the Istanbul Archaeological Museum Garden. 

Composed by Mozart with inspiration from the rhythms of the Ottoman military band, the opera is one of the finest examples of the Turquerie current that emerged in Western Europe in the 16th century. The work is directed by Yekta Kara.

“Yusuf and Züleyha” will be presented at the festival as the second production by the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet. The opera by Okan Demiriş, with a libretto by Nezihe Araz, will be staged on June 11 and 12 at the Kadıköy Süreyya Opera Stage. The director of this opera is Aytaç Manizade.

The third opera in the 6th International Istanbul Opera Festival schedule will be “Romeo and Juliet” by Charles Gounod. It will be staged by the Mersin State Opera and Ballet under Kenan Korbek’s direction on June 13 at the Haliç Congress Center.  

The festival will end with the Gala Concert on June 18.

The Istanbul State Opera and Ballet Orchestra, conducted by the renowned Raoul Grüneıs, will accompany tenors Murat Karahan, Ünüşan Kuloğlu, soprano Catherine Foster and mezzosoprano Michelle Breedt.

Tickets for the festival can be purchased at Biletiva, the Kadıköy Süreyya Opera, the Beşiktaş Fulya Sanat office and the event venues for a price between 30 and 140 Turkish Liras.