Presidential Symphony Orchestra wraps up season

ANKARA

As the Presidential Symphony Orchestra (CSO) concludes its 2024-2025 season with 135 events, preparations are already underway for an extensive concert series marking its 200th anniversary in 2026.

The CSO will hold its final concert of the season on May 30 at the Ziraat Bank Main Hall in CSO Ada Ankara, officially bringing this year’s performances to a close.

“This year, we reached a total of 135 diverse events,” CSO Director Sibel Ayhan Bayer said. “We organized special concerts for national holidays, commemorations and celebrations. We connected with children through educational performances and introduced young soloists to our audiences. It was a dynamic and productive season.”

Bayer added that the orchestra’s activities will continue throughout the summer. “The season closing only marks the end of our regular concerts in Ankara. Throughout the summer we will take part in the Türkiye Cultural Road Festivals, performing across the country,” she noted. “Audiences in many cities will get a chance to hear the CSO live.”

Highlighting the significance of the 2025-2026 season, Bayer said, “The year 2026 marks the 200th anniversary of our orchestra, two centuries of uninterrupted performance seasons. Our anniversary concerts will reflect this rich history.”

She also underlined CSO’s foundational role in the country’s arts scene: “CSO is the flagship of Türkiye’s cultural institutions. Many of our nation’s arts organizations were born out of this orchestra. Our aim is to spotlight this legacy through collaborative concerts and a multicultural program celebrating the CSO’s contributions to the arts.”

The 2025-2026 season will begin under this anniversary theme and extend into a two-year concert marathon, Bayer added. “We are preparing a program enriched by a broad range of participants, including choirs and orchestras from different traditions. We will bring together the extended CSO family and celebrate our shared legacy on stage.”