World-renowned pianist and composer Fazıl Say and soloist Serenad Bağcan took the stage in Izmir for earthquake victims, hosted by Izmir Metropolitan Municipality. President Soyer said, “After this great destruction, a brand new Turkey will be born. No one should lose hope. The stones will fall into place," he said. All proceeds of the concert were transferred to the “One Rent One Home” campaign.
World-renowned pianist and composer Fazıl Say and soloist Serenad Bağcan organized a solidarity concert in Izmir to heal the wounds of earthquakes that affected 11 cities in Turkey. The concert was held at the Ahmed Adnan Saygun Art Center, hosted by the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality. As the concert tickets were sold out in the first half hour, the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor, who watched the concert on the chair Tunç Soyer, saying that they are grateful to the artists, “An extraordinarily magnificent meeting. The magnanimous people of Izmir and the magnanimous artists came together. Good luck to you. Home is the biggest problem of people right now. They don't have nests. The One Rent One Home campaign, which we started to cure their problems, has grown extraordinarily well. They provided great support for this. I am grateful to them,” he said.
Stating that he was impressed by the "One Rent One Home" campaign, Fazıl Say said, "I heard about the campaign, I thought that if something is to be done, something like this can be done. At that time, people who wanted to help earthquake victims did not know where to help. He was astonished. I also wrote to Tunç Bey. He also gave a positive response. Concert tickets were immediately sold out. Tunç Bey does the earthquake studies and organization in the most correct way. I find this event very valuable. I would like to thank the people of Izmir. Good thing they are. "They filled the room," he said.
“A brand new Turkey will be born”
Emphasizing that the ticket revenues will be a home for earthquake victims, Soyer said, “Bless your conscience. Our work will continue. The republic was a miracle created by our heroic ancestors after years of occupation in these lands a century ago. Today, after this great destruction, a brand new Turkey will be born. No one should lose hope. The stones will fall into place," he said. President Soyer thanked Fazıl Say and Serenad Bağcan and said, “No one has any doubts about the universal talent of Dear Fazıl. What makes an artist universal is his conscience and courage. I thank him for his talent, conscience and courage.”
“Great Losses”
Expressing that the earthquake that took place in Fazıl Say saddened everyone deeply, he said: “We are a country that goes through shock after shock. The earthquake caused depression in all of us. There were great losses. Sharing music for this purpose and supporting people is a great act. I thank you all,” he said.
“A special night”
Yekta Kopan, who hosted the concert, said, “It is very meaningful to be together at such a support night. Tonight is a special night for all of us. It is a special night for Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, which has been continuing its support and solidarity program for a long time. Let it be a night where you can feel the solidarity and support in the best way possible.”
After the speeches, President Soyer gave olive saplings to Fazıl Say, Serenad Bağcan and Yekta Kopan. The artists will once again take the stage for earthquake victims on 6 March.