The ninth International Ephesus Opera and Ballet Festival will be held from June 26 to July 8 at the ancient city of Ephesus and the Bornova Culture and Arts Center.
Organized by the General Directorate of State Opera and Ballet, the festival will present five productions in eight performances, including opera, ballet, a stage cantata and a children’s play.
The festival will open with Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet “Swan Lake,” to be staged at the Ephesus Ancient Theater on June 26 and 27.
The production, choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov and interpreted by Armağan Davran and Volkan Ersoy, will feature artists from the İzmir State Opera and Ballet under the baton of conductor Tolga Taviş German composer Carl Orff’s stage cantata “Carmina Burana” will be performed on June 30 and July 2 by the İzmir State Opera and Ballet Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Vladimir Lungu with chorus master Orhan Öner Özcan. The children’s choir will be directed by Başar Ünal
The Ankara State Opera and Ballet will present the ballet “Zorba the Greek,” adapted from the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis with choreography and libretto by Lorca Massine, on July 4 and 5 at the Ephesus Ancient Theater.
The festival will conclude on July 8 with Italian composer Giacomo Puccini’s opera “Tosca,” staged by the İzmir State Opera and Ballet. The orchestra will be conducted by Roberto Gianola and directed by Yiğit Günsoy. Italian tenor Ivan Magri will make his festival debut in the production.
As part of the festival, the one-act musical children’s play “Pamira and the Grasshopper,” composed by Yusuf Gençay and directed by Nejat Şengün, will be performed twice on June 28 at the Necdet Aydın Stage of the Bornova Culture and Arts Center.
The production aims to introduce children to a colorful world shaped by nature, creativity and the arts while encouraging them to look beyond prejudice.
