Renowned pianist composes anthem for centennial of country

Beyazıt Şenbük - ISTANBUL

Ayşedeniz Gökçin, a prodigious child lauded for her talents from a young age and has been recently included in the Grammy Awards nominee pool with her latest work, has composed a special anthem to commemorate the centenary of the Turkish Republic and embarked on a “Republic Tour” across Türkiye.

The pianist, after captivating audiences in the western province of İzmir and the southern city of Antalya, will grace the stage in Istanbul at the Enka Auditorium on Oct. 18.

Expressing her desire for the anthem she penned to be sung in unison at schools, the virtuoso pianist has issued a call to establish an online choir for this purpose.

"I am immensely excited at the thought of everyone singing the anthem I've written. This is our republic, and singing it together will be a magnificent tribute. That's why I've set out to create an internet choir. I've posted the lyrics, notes and backing tracks for this anthem on my website. I ask everyone interested in joining the choir to utilize these resources and record themselves singing the anthem with just a set of headphones," Gökçin stated.

"With these videos, I will compile an extraordinary recording. Teachers can even record videos with their students at school and send them to me. Perhaps, one day, this could even become a school bell tradition, which would fill me with immense pride," she added.

Despite having received education at prestigious institutions abroad, Gökçin underlined that she received all her foundational education in Türkiye.

Gökçin expressed that as a woman who has represented her country on numerous international stages, she had long harbored the dream of composing an anthem for the centennial of the nation's founding.

"Particularly, I paid great attention to it having memorable and straightforward melodies. As we celebrate the 100th anniversary, I believe the lyrics of the composition should highlight what we aspire to achieve a century from now and where we should aim to be," she explained.