Turkish folk singers to perform for Van

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

The folk singers held a press conference to announce the concert for Van.

Leading Turkish folk singers will take the stage in Istanbul on Nov. 3 to raise money for the victims of last month’s Van earthquake, following in the footsteps of a recent rock concert that was held with a similar purpose.

“All sections of society should show their sensitivity in order to heal the wounds of the Van earthquake. This is why we have brought artists together for this purpose. All folk songs will be performed for Van on the night of Nov. 3. I invite all people of Istanbul to this event,” Şişli Mayor Mustafa Sarıgül said earlier this week at a press meeting to promote the show.

Income from the concert, which starts at 8 p.m. at Şişli’s Istanbul Congress Center, will be sent to survivors in Van.

Artists Yavuz Bingöl, Edip Akbayram, Suavi, Belkıs Akkale, Melike Demirağ, Yeni Türkü soloist Derya Köroğlu, Tolga Sağ, Cengiz Özkan, Sevcan Orhan, poet Mazlum Çimen, Deniz Oral, Erdal Erzincan, Gülay, İzzet Altınmeşe, Kerem Alışık, Onur Akın, Volkan Konak, Yavuz Bingöl, Zara and Zülfü Livaneli are all planning to perform at the event.

A short documentary film on Turkey’s experiences with earthquakes since the 1999 Marmara earthquake, prepared by Can Dündar, will also be screened during the event, which will be hosted by Oktay Kaynarca and Songül Öden.

The concert follows Oct. 30’s successful “Van için Rock” (Rock for Van), which was also organized to raise money for victims of the earthquake