CLASSICAL MUSIC MEETING IN ANKARA
The 39th International Ankara Music Festival, organized by the Sevda-Cenap And Music Foundation, will occur from April 4 to April 30, 2025. Renowned classical musicians and ensembles will perform in Ankara. The festival will open with a concert by the Ankara Festival Orchestra, featuring cellist Benedict Kloeckner as the soloist.
DANCE PERFORMANCES
The festival, one of Ankara’s longest-running art events, will bring together music and dance performances. Akram Khan’s Modern Dance Company, led by the renowned British dancer and choreographer, will take the stage. Spanish dancer Aaron Vivancos will present his famous flamenco show Woman by Aaron Vivancos, which he produced, choreographed, and composed.
LEADING FIGURES OF WORLD MUSIC
The festival will host many distinguished international artists and ensembles. The Dutch group Orochi Ensemble, which includes Turkish musicians, will present classical music with a modern approach. The celebrated British piano duo Charles Owen & Katya Apekisheva will perform. Italian jazz musicians, saxophonist Piero Odorici and trombonist Roberto Rossi will take the stage with their group Piero Odorici & Roberto Rossi Quintet.
Legendary Brazilian classical guitarist Yamandu Costa, a Grammy, and Latin Grammy Award winner, will perform with Orkestra Akademik Başkent under the baton of Can Okan. Other notable performers include the Czech string ensemble Skampa Quartet and Metallon Brass Ensemble, formed by members of the Athens State Orchestra, led by Nikos Haliassas.
Additionally, conductor Tolga Atalay Ün, violinist Elvin Hoxa Ganiev, and Orkestra Akademik Başkent will perform. One of Türkiye’s rising string quartets, Semplice Quartet, will also take the stage. The festival will conclude on April 30 with a concert in memory of Mehmet Başman. Pianist Salih Can Gevrek will perform solo with the Russian State Academic Symphony Orchestra Evgeny Svetlanov, conducted by Marius Stravinsky.
FIRST-TIME PERFORMERS IN TÜRKİYE
Sevda-Cenap And Music Foundation Secretary General Pınar Alpay Yüksel highlighted the festival’s impact: “As a foundation with over half a century of history, we have hosted thousands of artists from different countries. We are proud to enrich Ankara’s cultural life while promoting our country. It is a pleasure to introduce Turkish composers to international repertoires and support young musicians in global collaborations. The upcoming 39th International Ankara Music Festival will bring many artists and ensembles to Türkiye for the first time.”
The festival will occur at CSO Ada Ankara Concert Halls, MEB Şura Hall, Bilkent Concert Hall, and the State Museum of Painting and Sculpture Concert Hall. Tickets will be available on biletinial.com, and more details can be found at https://www.ankarafestival.com.
