Operas and ballets boosted attendance last year

ANKARA

More people watched operas and ballets in Turkey during the 2017-2018 season, according to new data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) measuring attendance and performances of musical productions.

Some 293,002 people – a 4.2-percent increase from the previous season - attended operas or ballets in Turkey during the 2017-2018 season, TÜİK reported in a statement on May 27.

The number of operas and ballets performed in opera and ballet halls rose to a total of 202 in 2017-2018, up 2 percent since the 2016-2017 season.

The number of overall performances in opera and ballet halls, including but not limited to operas and ballets, stood at 648 during the same period, a 5.3-percent decrease compared with the previous season.

Opera and ballet shows affiliated with the General Directorate of Opera and Ballet took place in six provinces last year. That season, six orchestras, 13 choirs and nine groups were affiliated with the General Directorate of Fine Arts, TÜİK said.

Meanwhile, the number of attendees at performances by orchestras, choirs and other others musical group decreased to just under 344,000 in the 2017-2018 season, 16.3 percent less than the previous season.

Most of that decrease in that attendance occurred among performances by other musical groups, which declined by 48.4 percent to 109,188. The number of spectators at choir performances decreased by 4.3 percent to 59,170, while orchestra performances drew 27.8 percent more audience members, up to 175,621.

The number of shows performed by orchestras increased by 14.9 percent to 224, while the number of shows performed by choirs decreased by 7.8 percent to 165. The number of shows performed by other musical groups decreased by 18.2 percent to 157.

There were distinctive differences in attendance by region. The number of orchestra attendees increased by 108.4 percent in the Aegean metropolis İzmir during the 2017-2018 season, while it decreased by 17.5 percent in the Mediterranean province of Antalya.

The number of choir audiences increased by 123 percent in Diyarbakır, 37.5 percent in Sivas and 28 percent in Elazığ among the 10 provinces where choirs held performances in 2017-2018 season. The provinces of İzmir with 83.8 percent, İstanbul with 27.2 percent and Ankara with 10.9 percent logged the greatest decreases in the number of audience members in the same period.

The number of staff working at opera and ballets during the 2017-2018 season stayed mostly stable, with a mere decrease of 0.3 percent. In 2017-2018 season, 2,491 personnel, including guest performers, served in opera and ballets affiliated with the General Directorate of Opera and Ballet. About 43.8 percent of personnel were women.

In the orchestras, choirs and musical groups affiliated with the General Directorate of Fine Arts, a total of 1,372 artists and musicians performed in front of audiences during last season. Some 348 of these performers belonged to orchestras, 636 to choirs and 388 to other musical groups. The proportion of performers who were women was 42 percent in orchestras, 38.2 percent in choirs and 26.5 percent in other musical groups.