Turkic nations unite to expand opera, ballet collaboration

Umut Erdem – ANKARA

The International Organization of Turkic Culture (TÜRKSOY) has taken decisive steps to strengthen cooperation in opera and ballet across the Turkic world, following the fourth General Assembly of Directors of Opera and Ballet Theaters of TÜRKSOY member states held on June 18 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Hosted by Abay Kazakh National Opera and Ballet Theater and chaired by its Director Ainur Kopbassarova, the assembly brought together key representatives from six founding and eight observer states.

Following comprehensive consultations, six major collaborative initiatives were agreed upon under the leadership of Türkiye’s State Opera and Ballet, including a comprehensive encyclopedic book to be published, detailing national opera and ballet works in the languages of TÜRKSOY member states.

A digital platform encompassing all Turkic world theaters, modeled on platforms like Operabase, will be developed and the national opera repertoire of the Turkic world will be enriched and expanded through joint initiatives.

Next year’s TÜRKSOY events will be dedicated to two distinguished artists: Kyrgyz opera singer Bulat Minjilkiyev and Turkish composer Adnan Saygun. Kazakhstan’s Abay National Opera and Ballet Theater will stage Aram Khachaturian’s “Spartacus” at the 2026 International Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival, in coordination with TÜRKSOY.

Furthermore, the premiere of the opera “Kazygurt Legend” is scheduled for 2026 at the Shymkent Opera and Ballet Theater, featuring young opera soloists from various member states.

As part of its longstanding traditional events, TÜRKSOY also held the 26th edition of TÜRKSOY Opera Days from June 11 to 22, with performances in Aktau, Almaty and Bishkek. Representing Türkiye, Istanbul State Opera and Ballet soloists tenor Ufuk Toker and soprano Özgecan Gençer performed alongside the Abay Kazakh National Opera and Ballet Orchestra and Chorus, under Kyrgyz and Kazakh conductors.

On the international front, the Turkish State Opera and Ballet (DOB) furthered its outreach through notable representation in South Korea. From June 19-22, DOB General Director Tan Sağtürk served as jury president at the Korea International Ballet Competition in Seoul.

Additionally, Türkiye co-hosted the preliminary rounds of the International Ottavo Ziino Opera Competition, scheduled to take place in Palermo, Italy, in October. The Istanbul preliminaries, organized by the Istanbul DOB at Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM), featured 27 young performers and were held concurrently with similar sessions in nine other countries.