Int’l Ankara Music Festival to kick off in April

ANKARA

The 39th International Ankara Music Festival, organized by the Sevda-Cenap And Music Foundation, will take place from April 4 to 30.

According to a statement from the foundation, Ankara, the birthplace of Türkiye’s first polyphonic music movement, is preparing for a month filled with music.

The event will feature nearly 250 artists and ensembles across classical music, modern dance, flamenco and jazz throughout the month. Concerts will be held at CSO Ada Ankara concert halls, the MEB Şura Hall, the Bilkent Concert Hall and the State Museum of Painting and Sculpture Concert Hall.

The festival’s opening will be dedicated to Cenap And, one of the foundation’s founders.

Conducted by Orhun Orhon, the Ankara Festival Orchestra will accompany cellist Benedict Kloeckner in a concert on the evening of April 4 at the Ziraat Bank Main Hall of CSO Ada Ankara.

On April 5, the Dutch band Ensemble Orochi will perform at CSO Ada Ankara’s Historic Hall. On April 7, the Akram Khan Modern Dance Company will take the stage at TED Ata Sahne, followed by Spanish dancer and choreographer Aaron Vivancos, who will present his flamenco show Woman by Aaron Vivancos on April 11.

The British piano duo Charles Owen and Katya Apekisheva will perform at Bilkent Concert Hall on April 15.

A concert featuring violinist Elvin Hoxa Ganiev and Orkestra Akademik Başkent, conducted by Tolga Atalay Ün, will take place on April 16 at CSO Ada Ankara’s Bankkart Mavi Hall.

The jazz quintet Piero Odorici-Roberto Rossi Quintet, founded by Italian saxophonist Piero Odorici and trombonist Roberto Rossi, will perform at CSO Ada Ankara’s Historic Hall on April 19.

The festival’s closing concert will be held on April 30 in memory of Mehmet Başman at CSO Ada Ankara’s Ziraat Bank Main Hall. The Russian State Academic Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Marius Stravinsky, will feature pianist Salih Can Gevrek as the soloist.

The festival’s poster, designed by Kayahan Kaya, features a white Ankara cat as the festival’s mascot.

Premieres in Türkiye

Sevda-Cenap And Music Foundation Secretary-General Pınar Alpay Yüksel stated that the foundation has invited thousands of artists from different countries to the festival over the years.

"The 39th International Ankara Music Festival, like its predecessors, will bring artists and ensembles from various countries to Türkiye for the first time," Yüksel said.

"The program offers with distinguished artists from various categories, and we will witness world and Türkiye premieres. As always, our conservatory students will have the opportunity to meet festival artists through workshops and attend the festival free of charge."

Yüksel also noted that the foundation contributes with its own resources to ensure that art lovers can attend multiple events. She emphasized that music enthusiasts from Istanbul, Izmir, Eskişehir, Konya and Sivas travel to Ankara for the concerts, adding vibrancy to the city's economic and cultural life.

The festival is sponsored by the Sevda-Cenap And Music Foundation and supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, local and international institutions, the Sabancı Foundation and Tourism, Trade and Industry Inc. as an honorary member.