Istanbul Music Festival opens with ‘Unusual’ theme

ISTANBUL

The 45th Istanbul Music Festival, organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), kicked off on May 29 with the opening ceremony and concert at the Lütfi Kırdar Convention and Exhibition Center. 

This year’s festival is taking place under the theme “Unusual” and will continue until June 21, with 29 concerts in 15 different venues.

The opening ceremony saw gratitude plaques presented to the supporters of the festival. 

The 45th Istanbul Music Festival’s Honorary Award was presented to music critic and lecturer Evin İlyasoğlu, while the festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Philip Glass, one of the legendary composers of our time. Unable to attend the ceremony, Glass delivered his prize speech with a special video. 

The ceremony continued with a concert from the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra, featuring Andrei Ionita, the winner of the 2015 Tchaikovsky Competition in Cello, hailed by The Times as “one of the most exciting cellists to have emerged for a decade.”