Turkish capital to be mesmerized by Latin music

ANKARA

With Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, and Peru preparing to celebrate 200 years of independence, and Brazil commemorating the same occasion in 2022, the seven Latin American countries along with Turkey will mark the special day with a symphonic music concert in Ankara.

Organized by the embassies of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and Brazil in coordination with the Turkish Foreign Ministry and the Turkish Presidential Symphony Orchestra (CSO), a concert with Latin American music to commemorate the bicentennial anniversaries of independence will take place at the CSO Concert Hall in Ankara.

Speaking to state-run Anadolu Agency, prominent conductor Tulio Gagliardo Varas said, “It’s an incredible occasion to make Latin American music in Turkey.”

Born to an Argentine family in Buenos Aires, Varas has been living in İzmir since 2006 and is currently serving as the head of the İzmir State Opera and Ballet Orchestra.

Noting the significance of 200 years of independence for the Latin American countries, the prominent conductor said the concert will include 14 pieces from the countries which are celebrating their independence day.

Mexico’s Ambassador to Turkey Jose Luis Martinez y Hernandez said that the event is part of commemorations organized by seven Latin American countries and Turkey.

The events are ongoing from 2021 until 2023 because Brazil is to mark its 200th anniversary in 2022, while Turkey will celebrate its centennial in 2023, he noted.

To mark the bicentennial independence anniversaries of Latin American countries, the Turkish Foreign Ministry and the embassies of these countries in Ankara planned to undertake a series of joint cultural and academic activities.

“Also, we [Mexico] have a gastronomical festival and an archives exhibition at the National Archives of Turkey which will show documents relating to the relationship Turkey, the Ottoman Empire, had with Latin America. Next year, we will have other events in the field of arts and also archeology,” Hernandez said.