Concerts, exhibitions across Turkey canceled after coup attempt

ISTANBUL

A number of local and international cultural events across Turkey have been canceled in the wake of the bloody coup attempt that started late on July 15 and was quashed early the next day. 

The Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) has made changes to the program of its ongoing Istanbul Jazz Festival. 

“As İKSV, we always unconditionally side with democracy. We firmly believe our country will overcome these hard times,” the organization said in a July 18 statement. 

“We believe music is our common language and we will be continuing the ongoing 23rd Istanbul Jazz Festival with some program changes in the coming days,” it said. 

All festival concerts scheduled to take place from July 22 will take place as planned, but many of those scheduled before will be canceled or moved, İKSV stated. 

Lenny White, who was due to appear with Cyrus Chestnut and Buster Williams at a concert on July 18, did not show up to the performance. 

The Branford Marsalis Quartet with Special Guest Kurt Elling concert on the same day was canceled, while the Antonio Sanchez and Migration concert and Scofield Mehldau Guiliana concert due to take place on July 19 were also cancelled. 

The Ernest Ranglin & Friends concert on July 20 at Küçükçiftlik Park in central Istanbul will be held at another, as yet unspecified, venue. The Budos Band, having been due to perform at the same event, will not be performing at the new venue. 

The Bulut Gülen Quintet concert on July 20 will still be held at Salon İKSV but guest artist Yuri Honing will not accompany the band.

All planned “Night Out” outdoor events due to take place as part of the festival have been cancelled.

Separately, the Candan Ercetin & Kardeş Türküler concert, due to be held at Istanbul’s ENKA Culture Arts center on July 18, was postponed to Aug. 24. 

Elsewhere, the “Philippi” exhibition on excavations at the ancient site, an event organized by the Greek Consulate in Istanbul and the Greek Culture and Sports Ministry, has been canceled. 

The Ayvalık International Music Academy (AİMA) Festival in the northwestern Aegean district has also been cancelled in the wake of the unrest on the night of July 15 that cost 232 lives.