The 7^th Mersin International Music Festival

The Mersin International Music Festival will host events between 22 May and 02 June 2008 that will help Mersin be recognised on an international level once again. Held with an aim to promote Turkey's artistic and cultural achievements and create an awareness of Mersin's historical and cultural riches, the festival will bring the denizens of Mersin with the universal world of music. The 7^th Mersin International Music Festival will have distinguished guests from countries that range from Spain to Azerbaijan, who will share various genres of music with their listeners. Like previous years, the events of the festival will take place in ancient locales such as Kanlidivane, Tarsus St. Paul Museum and the Kizkalesi, while local events will bring arts to many places across Mersin.

First festival since EFA membership

The Mersin International Music Festival has achieved one of its primary objectives, and was accepted to the Brusselsbased European Festivals Association (EFA) on 09 June 2007. During this first festival as an EFA member, art lovers of Mersin will embark upon a pleasant voyage in the rich world of music. From classical to dance, "a cappella" choir and jazz, many different genres of music and performances can be enjoyed during the festival.

Artistic Advisory Board

The Artistic Advisory Board of the 7^th Mersin International Music Festival is comprised of Artist of the State Professor Nevit Kodalli, Chairman; Remzi Buharali, Artistic Director; Dr. Isin Metin, Dean, Bilkent University Performing Arts Faculty; Evin Ilyasoglu, journalist and author, and Italian flutist Vieri Bottazini.

Supporters of the festival

The main supporters of the Mersin International Music Festival are the Office of the Prime Minister Promotion Fund Board, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Governor's Office of Mersin, and the Regional and Garrison Commandership of the Mediterranean.

Festival Executive Board

Brought to life with the city association and solidarity of Mersin, the Mersin International Music Festival was organised under the official roof of the Mersin Culture and Arts Association by the Festival Executive Board. As of the 7^th festival, the executive board remains the same, but the official roof changes to the Artistic Events Association. The Festival Executive Board is comprised of representatives from the Mersin Metropolitan Municipality, Mersin University, Municipalities of Akdeniz, Yenisehir, Toroslar, Tarsus, Mezitli and Kizkalesi, Mersin Chamber of Trade and Industry, Mersin Commodity Exchange, Mersin Maritime Trade Chamber, Mersin State Opera and Ballet, Artistic Events Association, Icel Arts Club, Philharmonics Association, Polyphonic Choirs Association, and the Mersin High School Alumni Association.

A RICH FESTIVAL PROGRAMME

The Mersin International Music Festival will continue its tradition of having a magnificent opening gala. Accompanied by the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, the young Dutch violinist Janine Jansen will be our opening guest on May 22nd. Jansen began her music education at the age of six and graduated from the Conservatory of Utrecht with high honours in 1998. She received critical acclaim with her performance of Tchaikovsky's violin concerto in 2002 in London, and went on to work with the leading orchestras of many countries. The opening concert of the festival will be directed by Conductor Emil Tabakov, the Musical Director of the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra. The second concert in the festival will be a colourful event of opera artists on May 23rd. Joining the Orchestra are the young Latvian soprano, Marina Rebeka, who won first prize in the "Neu Stimmen" competition in 2007 and received great acclaim, and the famous tenor Aldo Di Toro. Both concerts will be held at the Mersin Civic Centre.

A cappella outdoors

The Vokaliz concert to be held at the Municipal Outdoor Theatre on May 24th will be another colourful event of the festival. Comprised of Atakan Guclu Yoruk (Tenor), Tolga Gulen (Baritone), Cengiz Unal (Baritone), and Kerem Seven (Bass), the Vokaliz group practices noninstrumental vocal music, otherwise known as "a cappella".

Los Vivancos: 7 dancing brothers

Visiting our festival from Spain, the Los Vivancos ensemble is comprised of 7 dancers, all of whom are brothers. Gaining popularity all over the world, each of the 7 brothers also plays an instrument. Los Vivancos will give an intriguing performance of dance and instruments at the Mersin Civic Centre on May 25th.

The partnership of the viola and the accordion

The Esra Pehlivanli and Makro Kassl duo will bring together two instruments that have never appeared together in the festival so far: the viola and the accordion. Violist Esra Pehlivanli has received awards from many artistic centres of Europe and currently resides in Holland. Pehlivanli and the German accordionist Marko Kassl will perform works of famous composers at the Mersin Civic Centre on May 26th.

Four hands on a piano

The festival will host two Turkish musicians that represent Turkey successfully around the world. Always acclaimed and recognised by music critics, the brother and sister Ufuk-Bahar Dorduncu duo will perform a "four-hand piano recital" at the Mersin Civic Centre on May 27^th.

The voice of Azerbaijan

Known to accommodate diverse cultures all the time, the festival has guests from Azerbaijan this year. Prominent opera soloists of the Baku Opera, Azer Zeynalov, Sahlar Quliyev, Zemfira Ismayilova and pianist Melahat Ismayilova will give listeners a chance to hear opera tunes from a different part of the world. The first performance will be held at the Yenisehir Municipality Civic Centre on May 29th, and the second at the Akdeniz Municipality Conference Centre on May 29th. Both events will have free admission.

Ferit Alnar's Kanun Concerto

Regarded as a milestone of kanun performance in Turkey, Hasan Ferit Alnar's "Kanun Concerto" will be conducted by Murat Kodalli. Tahir Aydogdu will also join the concert that will be held at the Civic Centre on May 28th. The performance will be accompanied by the Mersin State Opera and Ballet Orchestra.

Songs and dances of the eclipse

The British Eclipse ensemble brings 17^th century Spain to life. After lengthly musicological studies, the ensemble plays the authentic instruments of the era with the specific style that was used back in the day, and performs traditional Spanish dances and tunes such as Sephardic songs, rain dance, tarantella, chaconne, peradetas, gallardas and achas. The performance will be held at the Mersin Civic Centre on May 29th.

Two groups, one concert: Akademi Klarinet Ensemble and Trio Aegean

The concert of May 30 will host two groups; one from Istanbul and the other from Izmir. The Akademi Klarinet Ensemble from Istanbul and Trio Aegean from Izmir will perform in the two halves of the same concert. The Akademi Klarinet Ensemble chamber music group, founded by five academics from the Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts in 2006 performs baroque, classical, romantic, contemporary and Turkish works with the rich and deep tonality of the clarinet. Trio Aegean, founded in Izmir in 1998, performs the works of Turkish composers at prominent venues across Europe. The concert will be held at the Catholic Church.

History and music come together at Kanlidivane

One of Mersin International Music Festival's favourite concert venues, the ancient city of Kanlidivane will host the ENBE Orchestra on Sunday, June 1st. The ENBE Orchestra was founded by Istanbul State Opera and Symphony Orchestra member Behzat Gerceker in 1993. The orchestra is comprised of many prominent musicians from Turkey and abroad. Having performed with Barry White, Richard Clayderman, Goran Bregovic, Luciano Pavarotti, Domingo and Grammy nominee Monica Molina, the ENBE Orchestra has an extensive repertoire ranging from opera arias to Neapolitan and light music, French chansons, Argentine tangos, popular jazz and country songs, famous musicals, popular music and Turkish pop.

Founded by Serkan Gurkan in Vienna, the Quintet mostly plays songs arranged by Gurkan himself, and also works of internationally renowned composers. The group has been critically acclaimed both within and outside Vienna, and emphasises new arrangements of Turkish music by Serkan Gurkan in order to promote Turkish music around the world. The ensemble consists of 5 musicians and 2 dancers, and will visit the festival to give two performances: the Civic Centre on May 31st and Forum Mall on June 1st.

Keeping up with a tradition, the closing concert of the festival will be held at the Tarsus St. Paul Museum on June 2nd. The event is of special importance due to 2008-2009 being the "St. Paul Year". The closing concert will be given by the Leipzig String Quartet, who hail from Johann Sebastian Bach's hometown in Germany. Founded in 1988, the ensemble is regarded as a group that conducts some of the most interesting work on classical chamber music. The group has given concerts in Europe, Israel, Central Africa, South and North America, Australia, Japan, and some Asian countries. The group performed in Brazil prior to Mersin. The mystical atmosphere of the St Paul Museum will fill with unforgettable melodies.

Tribute to Dogan Akca: "Paintings at a concert"

Former Festival Executive Board member, the late artist Dogan Akca will be remembered with a concert during the festival. A slideshow consisting of Akca's paintings will be displayed on top of music by the Mernoor (Mersin Wind Instruments Chamber Orchestra). The ensemble is comprised of Mersin State Opera and Bale Orchestra musicians and has been performing since 1991. Nefise Bayram (flute), Cavlan Gencer (Oboe), Asli Ergin (Clarinet), Valentin Tramifov (Fagot) and Sedat Ilgin (horn) will perform at the Mersin Civic Centre on May 24th. Admission is free.

Free public events

The festival will also host a series of free public events featuring the Turkish Music Ensemble, founded within the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's General Directorate of Fine Arts. These events will be held at the Toroslar 3 Ocak Sports Hall on May 26th, the Tarsus 75. Yil Civic Centre on May 27^th, and the coast of Kizkalesi on May 28th. The ensemble has performed in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, and has given over 40 concerts in Turkey. In addition to Turkish classical and folk instruments, the ensemble plays many instruments of the Turkic music tradition, such as dombra, sim, kopuz, rubab, dutar, tar, garmon, giccek, temir kopuz, komuz, morin huur, bizanci, cetigen, santur, cenke and sibizgi. A majority of the above instruments are authentically crafted by the members of the ensemble at the group's instrument workshop.

A photography exhibition by Tahir Ozgur depicts a thousand-year-old tradition: The Sarikecili, the last nomadic tribe of Turkey. The Sarikecili maintain the way of life they ad when they came to Anatolia one thousand years ago. They erect their tents in Mut, Aydincik and Yesilovacik during the winter and the highlands of Karaman, Konya and Mersin during the summer. The Sarikecili represent one of the richest cultures in Mersin. Tahir Ozgur spent three years among the tribe to capture and depict their daily lives. His work was awarded 21 international prizes, won second place in the photostory category of the 2007 National Geographic International Photography Competition, and received prizes in almost 20 photography contests. The photographs will be displayed in a slideshow on May 23rd, and will be open for viewing at the Mersin Chamber of Trade and Industry's exhibition hall throughout the festival.

The Executive Board of the Mersin International Music Festival reserves the right to make changes to event dates, artists and locations.