The 16th International Opera Festival, organised by the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry’s State Opera and Ballet, will feature a rich variety of performance with international and local talent alike from 10 May to 3 June.
The festival will present 11 productions, including appearances by international guest artists and ensembles worldwide, across 20 performances.
After breaking attendance records in recent years and attracting audiences of all ages, this year’s events will take place at the Ataturk Cultural Center (AKM) Turkish Telekom Opera Stage, AKM Theater Hall, and Kadikoy Sureyya Opera Stage in Istanbul.
Caner Akgun, director and artistic director of the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet, told Anadolu that the festival will open on 10 May with a gala concert and conclude on 3 June with the ballet Russian Hamlet performed by the Eifman Ballet from St. Petersburg.
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He said a very diverse program awaits opera lovers, adding: “On May 10, we will hold a gala concert with Nayden Todorov, the conductor of the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, conducting. It will be a performance with our artists and two guest foreign soloists. The concert will take place in memory of Leyla Gencer on the anniversary of her death.” Gencer, a Turkish bel canto soprano, passed away in 2008.
A major highlight will be the world premiere of a new staging of the opera Gilgamesh, a rarely performed work by Ahmet Adnan Saygun, a Turkish composer who died in 1991.
Akgun emphasised the team’s months of preparations and their sense of national duty in reviving the piece, encouraging audiences of all ages to witness this historic debut.
Akgun highlighted two children’s productions at the festival: the world premiere of Cinderella, adapted from Rossini’s La Cenerentola and directed by Nazli Iktu, and the continuation of Ballet World, led by Tan Sagturk.
He also said that the 19 May concert All My Hope Is in Youth, will feature talented students from Anatolian fine arts high schools and international scholarship recipients, uniting young performers from diverse educational backgrounds.
He emphasised that the festival program was designed with Istanbul’s cultural and touristic identity in mind, shaping a vision for the Ataturk Cultural Center. He highlighted the debut of Sultans of the Opera, a unique project by Mehmet Yesilcay featuring Baroque works on notable Turkish figures and traditional instruments.
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Akgun also noted the importance of innovation in staging, pointing to Russian Hamlet as a compelling piece for audiences interested in exploration and new artistic approaches.
He also announced the premiere of the Modern Dance Ensemble Istanbul (MDT) project Delirium, which explores modern life’s challenges through movement and emotion. Akgun noted its strong appeal to younger audiences and stressed the importance of modern dance in reflecting today’s human dilemmas.
International highlights of the festival also include Bulgaria’s renowned Sofia Opera and Ballet performing Electra on May 29, and Russia’s St. Petersburg Eifman Ballet presenting Anna Karenina on 31 May, both at the Ataturk Cultural Center’s Turkish Telekom Opera Stage.