Hungary-Türkiye Cultural Year starts

ISTANBUL

The 2024 Hungary-Türkiye Cultural Year will kick off on Jan. 21 with a concert of by the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra, to be held at the Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM) in Istanbul. On the same day as the concert an exhibition depicting the important contributions of Hungarians in the establishment of Türkiye will also be presented to the audience at AKM.

The first event of the 2024 Hungary-Türkiye Cultural Year, organized for the 100th anniversary of the friendship treaty signed between Hungary and Türkiye in 1923 will be held with the theme of "100 Years of Friendship and Cooperation," will be a concert by the Pannon Philharmonic from the city of Pécs, one of the most famous orchestras of Hungary.

The opening of the concert will be made by Péter Hoppál, undersecretary of the Hungarian Culture and Innovation Ministry, responsible for the Year of Culture.

Founded in 1811, the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra was founded by Viennese conductor Johann Georg Lickl in the city of Pécs in southern Hungary. The ensemble is the permanent orchestra of the concert hall Kodály Center, built in 2010. The orchestra, under the direction of conductor Tibor Bogányi, has hosted many international soloists.

At the concert to be held on Jan. 21, the orchestra will perform the well-known works of world-famous Hungarian composers Zoltán Kodály and Béla Bartók, as well as Symphony No. 5 by Ahmet Adnan Saygun, who was not only Bartók's friend in Türkiye but also his companion during his travels.

On the same day as the concert, the opening of the exhibition, titled "Hungarians in the Construction of Türkiye,” which tells about Hungarian experts who contributed to many fields during the founding years of the Republic of Türkiye, will be held. The exhibition, realized in cooperation with the Hungarian National Museum and the Liszt Institute Hungarian Cultural Center, will run at AKM until Feb. 4.