People with autism perform at online festival

İZMİR

People with autism who cannot leave their homes due to the COVID-19 outbreak are displaying their skills at the İZOT Home Autism Festival organized by the İzmir Autism Orchestra and Choir on social media.

Having given concerts in 180 cities in different countries since 2013, İZOT’s concert programs, which were planned to start in March, had been canceled.

İZOT Home Autism Festival was organized to make concerts live online after choir members said they were sad about the cancellation.

The performers who show up on the screen — which have replaced stages — every evening at the festival, launched on the Instagram account of the orchestra, show their talents to the audience with their performances.

As Ufuk Yıldırım was the first guest artist of the festival, the performances of young people with autism attracted great attention from social media users.

Orçun Berrakçay, music educator and founder of İZOT, said that they organized this festival in order to add life to the lives of individuals with autism during the COVID-19 process.

Berrakçay noted that they think this is the first festival for individuals with autism on social media and that they will organize one-hour programs until May 22.

He added that they invited all people with autism to the broadcast to display their performances.

Meanwhile Ufuk Yıldırım, a prominent Turkish singer, said that he was very excited about being invited to such an important festival as a guest artist, that individuals with autism are very talented and has supported them in every environment throughout his artistic life.

Batuhan Kaşdemir, who played the piano at the festival, stressed that his life changed when he met İZOT.

Gizem Dağ, another young individual with autism, said with a great excitement that she appeared in front of the camera and played the instrument, feeling as if she was giving a concert in a big hall.