Classical music tunes to echo in Gümüşlük town

MUĞLA - Anatolia News Agency

The 9th International Gümüşlük Classical Music Festival will host the most distinguished names of classical music in the town.

The ninth International Gümüşlük Classical Music Festival will begin on July 5. Organized by the Gümüşlük Culture and Art Association under the artistic consultancy of state artist and pianist Gülsin Onay and the artistic directorship of pianist Eren Levendoğlu, the festival will open in the historical Eklisia Church in the Gümüşlük town of the popular Aegean holiday resort Bodrum. The opening concert of the event will be given by the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Işın Metin with Onay on piano.

One of the longest-term festivals in Turkey, the International Gümüşlük Classical Music Festival will host 19 concerts by leading Turkish and international musicians.

Among the festival guests will be Russian Lilya Ziberstein, Lithuanian Muza Rubakycke, British Jonathan Plowright, Dutch Karst de Jong, Scottish Alexander Bailli and Turkish Çağ Erçağ.

Besides the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, the Hacettepe Symphony Orchestra, Erol Erdinç Jazz Quartet and Bremenhaven Stadtheater Ballet will be among the festival guests.

Competition for great composer

In a written statement, Onay said the festival had also organized a competition to maintain the legacy of one of the most significant composers in the history of the Turkish Republic, Ahmet Adnan Saygun. She said, “I always played his works and made the world listen to them. Now with this competition, it will be a great pleasure to me to create a world of Saygun at this festival.”

The Ahmet Adnan Saygun Bodrum Piano Competition will be held from July 20 to 24. The competition, to be held with the support of the Bodrum Municipality, will feature Onay, Levendoğlu, Zilberstein, de Jong, İbrahim Yazıcı and Julian Gorus as jury members. The competition will be open to all young people from Turkey and abroad.

During the festival, there will also be open master classes at the Eklisia Summer Music Academy (ESMA). Young musicians will have chance to take lessons from international virtuoso masters and give concerts at the end of the classes, which is sure to be an unforgettable experience.

Within the scope of the festival, 300 young musicians have so far joined the master classes of world famous virtuosos and received their certificates in the fields of piano, violin, violoncello, flute, harp and guitar. Also, nine students got an opportunity for education abroad.

The festival has been organized with major sponsorship from the Prime Ministry Promotional Fund, Culture and Tourism Ministry Bodrum Municipality, Gümüşlük Municipality and the Bodrum Trade Chamber.