In the World Choral Music Symposium (WSCM), which brought together world choirs in Istanbul, hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, 8 choirs from Turkey gave a magnificent concert on the same stage. Choirs from Istanbul, Bursa, Izmir and Ankara received a standing ovation with a repertoire reflecting the diversity in Turkish choral music.
The World Choral Music Symposium, the biggest event of the International Choral Music Federation (IFCM), hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in Istanbul this year, witnessed a unique closing concert. The symposium, which was opened with the "Bridges" concert of the Grammy-winning Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and the Norwegian guest conductor Ragnar Rasmussen, offered a unique experience to music lovers with a closing concert where Turkish choirs called out to the world.
Both traditional and contemporary tones…
A Capella Boğaziçi, Boğaziçi Jazz Choir, Chromas, Rezonans and Sirene from Istanbul in the night where eight choirs in different styles from mixed choir to women's choir, from folk music to pop-jazz came together; Nilüfer Polyphonic Choir from Bursa; Dokuz Eylül University Choir from İzmir and Jazzberry Tunes from Ankara brought both traditional and contemporary tones of Turkish choral music to the audience. The concert, which is a celebration of the meeting of thousands of years old folk music tradition with choral music, presented a journey of choral music, which is intertwined with all music of Turkey, to art lovers on the 100th anniversary of the Republic.
From 'Changing Horizons' to 'I'm on a Long and Thin Road'...
The closing piece of the symposium organized with the theme of “Changing Horizons” was Aşık Veysel's work “I'm on a Long Thin Road”, dedicated to the UNESCO 2023 Aşık Veysel year. The piece that all the choirs sang in the audience was given a standing ovation.
11 concerts took place in 44 different venues
Especially Atatürk Cultural Center, Akbank Art, Atlas 1948 Cinema, Borusan Music House, Garibaldi Stage, Grand Pera Emek Stage, Santa Maria Draperis Church, St. Antuan Church and Taksim Mosque Cultural Center, the symposium, which took place between 25-30 April in Beyoğlu, brought together the world's best choirs and expert speakers from the USA to Africa, from Spain to Indonesia. 55 concerts were given in 2500 different venues within the scope of the symposium, which included 150 choirs and 11 choirists and offered an outstanding program with more than 44 workshops and events.