‘Cheerful’ women open up to world with their songs

TRABZON - Anadolu Agency

The women of the Allegra Ensemble aim to show the universality of music during their performances. AA Photos

The Allegra Ensemble opera, founded by eight women in Ankara, has brought together classical and popular music in a multi-lingual collaboration that has enchanted audiences in Turkey and around the world. 

The artists, who came together nearly three years ago, aim to show the universality of music. 

The founding member of the ensemble, Ümmiye Ozdem said the Italian word “Allegra” meant “cheerful.” She said they wanted to make music cheerfully and wanted to show it to audiences. 

“We are eight women in the ensemble. All of us are professionals and graduates from the conservatory. We are artists from the Ankara State Opera and Başkent Orchestra,” she said. 

Özdem said their social relations with each other were very good. “We have been working together for a long time. We are very good friends. Actually, this was the point where we started. Considering that we could do something good, we founded our band three years ago.”

“We perform world music as well as our folk songs in various languages. Also, we perform French, German, Italian and Balkan songs. Our goal is to show that music has no language and show it especially with female musicians. We want to highlight the power of women, in a sense.” 

Özdem said they had performed 20 concerts in Turkey and abroad and made television programs. “We have made two instrumental CDs. We hope that this year we will make a third CD with a new concept,” Özdem said. 

She said they had received very positive reactions from their environment. 

“People know and love us. In the beginning, we didn’t think that we would progress so far. Our goal was not to become famous. We gained success within a short time. Our project was a very serious one created with good feelings. This is why we are successful. It makes us very happy. We are cheerful and happy women just like our name, Allegra Ensemble. We love doing this and believe that we make people feel the same,” Özdem said.

Özdem said they had also joined a music competition that the Mavi Nokta magazine has been organizing for 21 years. “We finished seventh among 87 ensembles. Then we came first in the Internet voting. It was a surprise for us. We are proud of it. Music and arts are the best values we have.”