36TH INTERNATIONAL ISTANBUL MUSIC FESTIVAL

Organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts and sponsored by Borusan Holding, the 36th International İstanbul Music Festival will take place between June 6-30, 2008. Hosting more than 500 artists from Turkey and abroad, 3 symphony orchestras, this year’s festival will feature a total of 22 events, among them 8 chamber orchestra and 5 chamber music concerts, 3 instrumental recitals, 4 vocal recitals, and 1 Ottoman Baroque music concert. The festival venues this year include Topkapı Palace, the Süreyya Opera, the Archeological Museum, and the Bulgarian Church alongside the

Hagia Eirene Museum.

ORCHESTRAL CONCERTS AT THE FESTIVAL. The festival will be inaugurated by a concert of the Vienna Chamber Philharmonic, made up of prize-winning young musicians. Young cellist Benyamin Sönmez, who was placed among the top five at the Adam International Cello Competition dedicated to M. Rostropovich, will be the soloist in the first of two concerts given by the orchestra under conductor Claudius Traunfellner. The soloist of the orchestra’s second concert will be Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero, whose improvisational talent has won her the admiration of classical music authorities.

Accomplished young cellist Johannes Moser will give his first concert in Istanbul, accompanied by the Zurich Chamber Orchestra under its conductor Muhai Tang. Founded by Gidon Kremer in 1997 and now one of the world’s foremost chamber orchestras, the Kremerata Baltica will once again put forward an imaginative programme. Soloist of this concert will be Gidon Kremer, who will interpret Beethoven’s violin concerto alongside works by Pärt and Britten. The Istanbul Symphony Orchestra’s open-air concert entitled ‘Jazz meets Classic[s]’ will take place in the garden of the Archaeological Museum. The concert’s soloist will be pianist and composer Leonid Chizhik.

In ‘3 Pianists, 3 Concerti’ Alexander Melnikov, Özgür Aydın, and Muhiddin Dürrüoğlu, accompanied by the Milli Reasürans Orchestra will interpret three different piano concertos: a veritable piano summit. Under the direction of Saim Akçıl the Tekfen Philharmonic Orchestra with soloist Şirin Pancaroğlu will premiere Hasan Uçarsu’s concerto for çeng and harp in a concert entitled ‘Old World, New World’.

TICKETS. Tickets for the 36th International Music Festival will be available from Biletix retail outlets, the Biletix call centre (0216 556 9800), www.biletix.com, and the AKM box office from May 3, 2008. Foto: The Hagia Eirene Museum, today, it is used for a variety of concerts and exhibitions, foremost of which is the İstanbul International Music Festival. Contact: PPS Promotion-Presse-Service, Dieter Topp/Christian Bauer, EU-Kulturzentrum, D-52391 Vettweiss/Köln, fon 0049-2424-940427, fax 0049-2424-940428, mailto: pps@kfe.de