Women musicians give band fresh start

ANTALYA - Anatolia News Agency

Female musicians in the Antalya Municipality Band.

The 49 year-old Antalya Municipality Band has recently hired four women musicians for the first time in its history.

The women artists are conservatory graduates, and will be full-time members of the band. The four are currently training especially for the band at Antalya Municipality’s İsmail Baha Sürelsan Conservatory.

The band’s conductor, Ömer Faruk Yetik, said the band has increased its staff to 21, and added 12 new musicians. The band works five days a week, and will begin a new season of concerts in two months. “With our new staff and especially our new women musicians, the band has a new style and has made a fresh beginning,” Yetik said, speaking to the Anatolia news agency. The revitalized band will add a value to the city, according to Yetik. “We should have hired women musicians much earlier. Women musicians now perform in every section of many orchestras.”

Funda Baydar will play trombone in the band and graduated from Çukurova University’s fine arts faculty. Baydar said that she applied to the Antalya Municipality Band after she seeing an ad in the newspaper, and that it’s great that the band is giving women a chance. “My family and my friends found it strange at first that a woman would play in a band. I think they will get used to it, though.”

Sevcan Laçinbaba will be one of the band’s three clarinet players, and graduated from the Mersin Fine Art Academy. Laçinbaba said this is a great chance for her. “I have always wanted to play in a band. Now my dream has come true,” she said.

Hande Özge Çolduroğlu graduated from Akdeniz University. Çolduroğlu said she decided to apply to the band with her family’s support. Helin Yıldız, who has been playing since she was very young, completed her musical education in Poland. Noting that her family also supports her joining the band, Yıldız said: “I am proud to be a part of the band. I have always dreamt of playing in a band and now I will have the chance to realize my dream.”