International Music Festival celebrates 41th anniversary

Organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Art (IKSV) with sponsorship from the Istanbul-based Borusan Holding, the annual Istanbul International Music Festival is celebrating its 41st anniversary. The festival which will run from June 4-29 will host some 500 musicians from Turkey and abroad. "Time and Transformation" is the main theme of this year's program. Vadim Repin, Maxim Vengerov, Shlomo Mintz, Mario João Pires, Khatia Buniatishvili, Magdalena Kožená, Kim Kashkashian, Sol Gabetta as well as two of the world's leading classical ensembles, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen (German Chamber Philharmonic of Bremen) and the Munich Chamber Orchestra are only some of the world stars and ensembles of classical music to grace the stages in Istanbul this summer. Contributing to the programs that are more open to novelty with more young performers and projects, the 41st Istanbul International Music Festival will offer stages to a number of Turkish and international premieres along with a 22 concerts' programme composed of orchestral concerts, chamber concerts and recitals. Meeting the audiences in different places, Surp Vortvots Vorodman Church will be used as a stage for the first time. Among the other stages where the performers will meet the audience, Hagia Irene, Sureyya Opera House, Istanbul Convention and Exhibition Centre, Galata Mevlevi House Museum, Galata Rum Primary School, Istanbul Museum of Modern Art and ıs Sanat are included. This year's honor prize will be presented to the world-renowned Turkish piano duo sisters Guher and Suher Pekinel for their efforts regarding the promotion of Turkish music and training of young musicians. Another annual honor given by the festival, the Lifetime Achievement Award, will go to Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki this year. The rewards will be presented during the opening ceremony of the festival on June 4 which will take place in Istanbul Convention and Exhibition Centre. The poster design for this year's festival is a joint effort between world-famous contemporary artist Sarkis and Bulent Erkmen, one of Turkey's pioneering graphic designer and artists, who is the IKSV's corporate identity advisor, said the IKSV Board Chairman Bulent Eczacıbasi during Wednesday's news conference. This is the first of many "interdisciplinary collaborations that will continue throughout 2013 for the IKSV's film and jazz festivals with the participation of various artists," Eczacibasi added. Tickets for the 41st Istanbul International Music Festival with prices ranging from TL 15 to 350 go on sale on Saturday via Biletix and IKSV.