The first Anatolia Opera and Ballet Festival is set to start on December 7 in Şırnak. The festival will be held for free in 23 different cities during the 2024-2025 art season and will offer a wide range of performances, from opera to ballet, musicals to modern dance, and children's plays to concerts. In 2024, the festival is set to take place in five cities with fourteen performances, and it is expected to expand to eighteen cities in 2025.
The festival will begin with Şırnak on 7-8 December and continue with 8-10 December Erzincan, 12-13 December Kırklareli, and 13-14 December Ardahan, having its last performance of 2024 on 15-17 December Hatay. In total, 13 different pieces will be performed.
As part of the festival, talent screenings will be conducted in every city under the slogan "Talent Everywhere". Events aimed at discovering children's and youth talents will provide training and workshop opportunities for young artists.
The promotion of the Anadolu Opera and Ballet Festival will be conducted by Tan Sağtürk, the general manager and artistic director of the State Opera and Ballet, who owns renowned academies across the country.
More details about the festival were shared with the public at a promotional meeting held on Monday, November 18, at the Ankara Opera House stage of the General Directorate of State Opera and Ballet.
At the meeting, the press was welcomed with an elegant bouquet made of three wheat ears at the entrance and a beautiful flute-piano recital accompanied by a video presentation of the project in the foyer. Immediately afterward, they moved to the hall, where all press members were invited to come to the front of the stage with their backs turned to the hall. The press release was presented on stage in front of the under-construction set of the Prince Igor opera, with the face turned towards the press, resembling a carefully planned theatrical performance rather than a conventional press conference, which reflects the detail put into the conference and probably to the festival as a whole. As such, the press members on stage were the "guest artist who sometimes acts as the audience and sometimes has the role of asking questions," while the people presenting the "press release performance" were the piece's "solo artists."
The audience for the conference was crowded, showing the interest of the public in this new venture to spread the love for art. Sağtürk started the conference with a speech touching on the details mentioned above. He then continued his words by highlighting the importance of kids in the project, saying, "Our children are also a special part of this festival. With the games prepared for them, we aim to increase their love for art from a young age and enrich their imagination. Because we believe that a generation that grows up with art will establish one of the most important foundations of our bright future."
Six provincial directors; soloist opera artists Mithat Karakelle (Ankara), and Caner Akgün (Istanbul), ballet artists Tolga İyiuyarlar (Izmir), and Serbülent Biçer (Mersin), orchestra artists Akın Ulutaş (Antalya), Barış Salcan (Samsun) introduced themselves. Each provincial director wrote down the cities to be toured on the board on stage, thereby signing a kind of "Oath Agreement" in the presence of the press as witnesses.
During the Q&A, the festival's benefits to tourism were brought up. Sağtürk stated, "With this festival, we aim to unite the rich cultural fabric of Anatolia with universal arts. Dear art lovers, while art is a universal language, it carries our roots and values. When the multi-layered and ancient culture of Anatolia meets the elegance of opera and ballet, a unique richness emerges. This festival is not just an art event; it is a turning point that will establish new bridges between art and culture."
He concluded his words by “wishing to meet together in the universal language of art.”
The Anatolia Opera and Ballet Festival promises to be a transformative event for the region, celebrating the rich cultural heritage of Anatolia while fostering a love for the arts among young audiences. The festival also aims to entertain with its diverse range of performances and inspire future generations of artists. As the curtain rises in Şırnak and beyond, the festival invites everyone to embrace the universal language of art and join in this exciting cultural celebration.
Edited by: Ömer Gökce and Yağmur Ece Nisanoğlu