Eight female artists from the State Opera and Ballet of Türkiye are preparing to bring the arias and stories of unforgettable female characters from opera to music lovers in a special concert marking International Women’s Day.
Titled “Women Heroes of Opera with Their Stories,” the concert will be organized by the Ankara State Opera and Ballet and held on March 11 at the Çankaya Atatürk Arts Center.
Speaking during the final rehearsal at the Opera Stage, director Zeynep Utku said the project was developed together with writer Gülümden Alev Karaman after an intensive creative process.
“In the concert, we will meet the leading female heroes of opera through different soloists and listen to the stories of these characters,” Utku said. “We wanted to move forward with a different concept and focus on the characters themselves.”
Utku noted that eight female soloists from the Ankara State Opera and Ballet were selected for the performance, adding that a second concert is also planned for April 8.
The performers will appear on stage wearing the original costumes of the characters they portray in their respective operas.
“All women are precious to us. Not only on March 8 but every day, women deserve to be cherished,” Utku said, inviting audiences to attend the concert and listen to the stories of these female heroes.
Karaman, the concert’s scriptwriter, said the project aims to present the powerful yet fragile female characters of opera along with their inner stories.
“In this narrated and staged concert, we will present 13 operas in 90 minutes through their arias and stories,” she said. “Characters such as Kösem Sultan, Macbeth, Aida and Tosca represent women shaped by ambition, sacrifice and passion.”
A young actor from the Ankara State Theater, Berkay Veli, will narrate the texts and stories during the performance.
Soprano Feryal Türkoğlu said performing together with eight women in a single concert was both challenging and exciting.
She will perform “Ritorna vincitor” from Aida by Giuseppe Verdi and Elektra’s aria from Idomeneo by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
“With the narration by Berkay Veli, we will also touch upon the inner worlds of the characters,” Türkoğlu said. “This is a project that has not been done before, and it will be very special.”
Soprano Mehlika Karadeniz Bilgin said the concert will bring together eight different artistic voices and interpretations.
She will perform the aria of Kösem Sultan by Okan Demiriş as well as “Vieni, t’affretta” from Macbeth by Verdi.
“Both characters possess passionate and ambitious inner worlds, and that is reflected on stage,” she said.
Soprano Funda Ateşoğlu will perform the role of Salome from Hérodiade by Jules Massenet, noting that the energy of the arias in the opera is very high.
“Listening to these arias one after another, along with their stories, is a great opportunity,” she said.
Soprano Esin Talınlı will perform from Rusalka by Antonín Dvořák, portraying the water nymph who gives up her voice for love.
Pianist Melahat İsmail, who has worked in both Azerbaijan and Türkiye, said opera is “a magnificent art.”
“All the artists on stage are people devoted to music,” she said. “I wish all women happiness on Women’s Day and always.”
Mezzo-sopranos Özge Türkoğlu and Ferda Yetişer, along with sopranos Seda Aracı and Tuğba Mankal, will also take the stage at the March 11 concert, which will be repeated on April 8.
