Countdown begins for Istanbul Int’l Chamber Music Festival

ISTANBUL

The countdown has begun for the 4th Istanbul International Chamber Music Festival, which brings the “music of friendship” from all over the world to Istanbul.

The festival, which is preparing to bring together international artists with music lovers in Türkiye with a rich program, will begin with a concert by Cello Duello, consisting of legendary cellists Jens Peter Maintz and Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, on Aug. 31 at CRR Concert Hall.

The Istanbul International Chamber Music Festival, which will host concerts by star musicians and legendary chamber music groups, many of whom will be visiting Türkiye for the first time, will also offer masterclasses, talks and special events for children.

Founded and artistically directed by renowned cellist Nil Kocamangil, the festival events will take place at the Cemal Reşit Rey (CRR) Concert Hall, as well as Baruthane, Bulgur Palas and Metrohan, with the support of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Culture Department.

The festival, which set out with a dream of bringing together world-famous musicians with listeners in our country, is already making a splash internationally despite being only in its fourth year and is taking firm steps towards becoming a tradition.

This year the festival will be held between Aug. 31 and Sept. 18, featuring different musical genres and instruments with a more inclusive program.

Following the opening concert by Maintz and Schmidt, the festival will also host concerts by Vincent Mussat, Joë Christophe and Nil Kocamangil; Baltic Guitar Quartet; SONICO; Tambuco Percussion Ensemble and Ludmil Angelov and the Anatolian Wind Quintet.

The closing concert of the festival will be given by one of today’s most famous string quartets, the legendary Quatuor Ebène, on Sept. 18.

Organized to learn about the music that world-famous classical musicians listen to and to have talks with them about music, the Off-The-Record discussions will offer a brand-new experience that brings together different music genres, going beyond the boundaries of the music world, under the moderation of Feyzi Erçin.

This year's guests at the talks will be Villa Musica, Christophe and Mussat, Tambuco Percussion Ensemble and Anatolian Wind Quintet and Angelov.

For children

Two different workshops will be held for children as part of the festival. In the “Rhythm from Mexico: Tambuco Body Percussion Workshop for Children,” members of the Tambuco Percussion Ensemble, a famous percussion group of Mexican origin and four-time Grammy award nominee, will perform a body percussion and rhythm exercise with children on Sept. 15.

One of Türkiye's best chamber music ensembles, the Anatolian Woodwind Quintet, will share the magical sound world of flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn and present the history and development of the instruments by performing short examples in the workshop titled “Let's Get to Know the Instruments - Woodwind Instruments” on Sept. 16.

Masterclasses

The masterclass programs of the Istanbul International Chamber Music Festival, which bring together classical music students with masters, will focus on three instruments this year.

The program will feature a cello masterclass by legendary cellist Maintz, a clarinet masterclass by French clarinetist Christophe and a double bass masterclass by Professor Rick Stotijn, who is considered one of the most important double bass players and instructors of our time.

This year, masterclass programs, which have been applied for by hundreds of people from dozens of different countries, are free of charge.

Tickets for the paid concerts of the festival can be purchased online while tickets for the free concerts, talks and workshops can be obtained through the Istanbul Senin application as of Aug. 28.