site.btaBulgaria’s National Philharmonic Choir Opens 53rd Istanbul Music Festival

Bulgaria’s National Philharmonic Choir has opened the 53rd Istanbul Music Festival at the Ataturk Cultural Centre with a performance conducted by Aziz Shokhakimov, the Sofia Philharmonic said in a press release on Sunday. This comes just a month after Sofia Philharmonic Director Nayden Todorov opened the International Istanbul Opera Festival.

The opening programme featured the world premiere of Turkish composer Hasan Ucarsu’s Earth Loves People One by One, a piece depicting a more just and balanced life in harmony with nature, as well as Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances, which offers an impressive synthesis of Eastern and Western music.

This year’s festival, themed Beyond Borders, celebrates music, culture, and innovation that transcend geographical and genre limitations. Participants include Gautier Capucon, Alexandre Kantorow, Camerata Salzburg, and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, among others. 

The National Philharmonic Choir will conclude its season with a performance conducted by Tsvetan Krumov at Bulgaria Hall on June 25. The programme will include pieces by Ola Gjeilo and Eric Whitacre, the press release added.