Aydın Doğan Award presented at a ceremony in field of Turkish music

ISTANBUL - Doğan News Agency

(L to R) Erol Belgin, Aydın Doğan Holdin Honorary Chairman Aydın Doğan, EU Minister Egemen Bağıs and Nevzad Atlığ are at the award ceremony. DHA photo

The 17th Aydın Doğan Award, which was given this year in the field of Turkish music, was presented on April 16 to Professor Nevzad Atlığ and the Turkish Music Foundation.

The awards have been given in the name of the founder of the Aydın Doğan Foundation and Doğan Holding Honorary Chairman Aydın Doğan since 1996.

A selection committee of seven people including Professor Alaeddin Yavaşça, Professor Adnan Koç, Doğan Hızlan, Erol Sayan, Fatih Salgar, Gönül Paçacı, H.Özgen Gürbüz, Mehmet Güntekin and Serap Mutlu Akbulut decided on Feb. 7 to give this year’s award to Atlığ due to his services to Turkish music for the last 65 years and to the Turkish Music Foundation for its effective projects in the field of Turkish music.

At a ceremony held at Istanbul’s Hilton Convention Center, the Aydın Doğan Foundation President Hanzade Doğan Boyner said the foundation had been established to focus on the fields of education, communications, culture and arts.

‘One of the strongest ties’

“The Aydın Doğan Award has a special place for us. Every year, we give the award to a person in the field of literature, arts, music or science for contributions in one of these fields. This year’s field was Turkish music, which is said to have been forgotten and overwhelmed by globalization. But Turkish music is one of the strongest ties that bring us from the past to the future; it is our common heritage.

This year the selective committee has decided to give the award to Atlığ and the Turkish Music Foundation,” Boyner said, congratulating Atlığ and the Turkish Music Foundation.

Following the speeches, the award was presented to Atlığ and the chairman of the foundation, Professor Erol Belgin, by Aydın Doğan and EU Minister Egemen Bağış. The ceremony ended with a concert given by the Turkish Music Choir.