A photo from the opening ceremony of the festival in 2019
Turks initial encounter with western forms of music such as classic music and opera is very recent. It all started with the establishment of Turkish Republic in 1923 which was keen on introducing western forms of music to the masses. It opened its first concert and opera halls in big cities such as Istanbul and Ankara and did the best it could to popularise them.
The poster of a recent film about the introduction of classical music to Turkey and
our first Opera composed by Adnan Saygun
Atatürk Cultural Center
For example, Atatürk Cultural Center in the heart of Taksim in İstanbul was built in order to bring western forms of music to the masses. It still hosts a range of classical music concerts, operas along with ballet and theatre performances.
The Opera Festival started in 2010 when Istanbul was selected as the European Capital of EU with the aim of popularising opera. It chose very popular sites such as Topkapı and Yıldız Palaces as well as Rumeli Hisarı so that masses felt a part of the festival. The first festival in 2010 had the slogan ‘opera has landed to the city’. Perfoming Mozart’s Abduction from Seraglio has become the tradition of the Opera Festival.
Here is an invitation to the Istanbul Opera Festival in 2018 which is my favourite!
Make sure to check the festival’s 16th anniversary next year on 2025!
