Cappadocia festival in historical venues

The month-long Klasik Keyifler Festival in several historical venues such as medreses, castles, natural caves, monasteries, churches, oil presses, and hotels.

Klasik Keyifler, the acclaimed chamber music series based in the central Anatolian region of Cappadocia, has announced the program for its fourth year with a summer season that will run from July 25 to Aug. 22, including 20 concerts and seven workshops.

This year the event will host over 100 performers from the Netherlands, Greece, Austria, Italy, Syria, Turkey and the United States, in programs ranging from Ottoman classics to numerous premieres of new works. Included is a celebration of the 150th birthday of composer Claude Debussy, as an example of a musical visionary, with a French repertoire.

Participating ensembles from abroad and Turkey include the Ricciotti Ensemble, members of the Atlas Ensemble, the Anatolia Ensemble, Idée Fixe and the Ankara University Soloists.

From Aug. 1 to 14 a series called “From the Composers’ Cauldron” will feature new and recent works by Stephen Hartke, Kamran İnce and Onur Türkmen, as well as 12 selected composers from workshops these three composers will hold. During the same period, Cyrille van Poucke, principal trumpeter of the Dutch Radio Orchestra, will join Tolga Zafer Özdemir, professor of composition at Bilgi University in Istanbul, for a special class in creative music-making and improvisational techniques. There will also be post-concert conversations with Turkish journalists and musicians.

Chamber music performances, master classes, workshops and recording sessions are also scheduled throughout the month-long festival in several historical venues such as medreses, castles, natural caves, monasteries, churches, oil presses, and hotels in the villages of Ürgüp, Nevşehir, Mustafapaşa, Göreme, and Uçhisar.

A project by Americans

Klasik Keyifler is the project of American violinist and renowned chamber musician Ellen Jewett and her Turkish husband, historian and tour guide Hüsam Süleymangil. Together, they combine their complementary expertise as a seasoned music professional and a Turkish tour-industry professional to arrange one of Turkey’s most inspired and enjoyable ways to enjoy an artistic summer in this exotic and magical destination.

Master classes for oboe are scheduled with Ernest Rombout of Amsterdam’s Nieuw Ensemble, for flute with Elena Cecconi of the Genoa Conservatory, for clarinet with Nusret Ispir of the Bilkent Orchestra, as well as with violinist Harald Herzl of the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Turkey’s prominent siblings pianist Birsen and violinist and violist Özcan Ulucan, and Turkish state artist and principal violist of the BBC Symphony, Ruşen Güneş. For further information: 0www.klasikkeyifler.org. (ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News)

Magazine journalists to honor Ahmet Kaya

The Ahmet Kaya Special Award will honor the late singer 12 years after his death. Hürriyet photo

The Magazine Journalists Association (MGD) has unveiled a special new honor named after the late Ahmet Kaya as a posthumous apology to the singer after he was attacked at the group’s 1999 awards for declaring his wish to write songs in Kurdish.

This year’s award was presented yesterday to Kaya’s bağlama player and orchestra conductor, Ümit Yılmaz, who received the award – which will be given annually, from journalist Savaş Ay, a close friend of Kaya. Kaya’s widow, Gülten Kaya, told daily Sabah that the MGD officials had been discussing the establishment of an Ahmet Kaya Special Award for two years.

“Ahmet Kaya was a musician; an award with his name should have already been presented. But I will be happier if they compensate for that night … with an award,” she said, adding that she was very happy with the decision.

“Even though the association was not directly involved, the incidents which caused Kaya to go into exile in France and then sent him to his death happened on a night hosted by this association. It is also a pleasure that Yılmaz has received the first award,” she said.

Speaking about the award, the MGD’s Reyhan Özdemir said Yılmaz had worked as Kaya’s orchestra conductor for 10 years and played the bağlama on his all albums. “He told us that he would be honored with this award.”

Özdemir also said the MGD was innocent in the incident that took place in 1999 during the award ceremony and that officials with the association were sorry about the attack.

About the incident

On Feb. 10, 1999, Kaya took the stage at the annual MGD awards to receive the honor for the musician of the year.

Before singing a song, he said: “I thank all the people of Turkey for the award. I also have a statement; I will sing a Kurdish song on my next album that I will release in the near future. I will also make a music video for this song. I know that there are brave television stations that will air this music video. If they don’t air it, I don’t know how they will face the Turkish public.”

This speech drew a hostile reaction from famous figures in the ceremony like pop singer Serdar Ortaç.

“You must accept the Kurdish reality,” Kaya said as guests began flinging knives and forks at him.

The incident led to Kaya’s prosecution, forcing him to head for France.

On Nov. 16, 2000, Kaya died of a heart attack in Paris, where he is now buried. (Hurriyet Daily News)

Say on stage in Czech Republic

Pianist Fazıl Say presents the opening concert of Smetana’s Litomysl Festival.

Turkey’s world renowned pianist and composer Fazıl Say performed on June 14 the opening concert of the Smetana’s Litomysl Festival, which is organized every year in Czech Republic.

Say performed Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Jakub Hrusa. The orchestra was founded in 1894 and is today recognized as the world’s one of the most important orchestras.

President and culture minister were present

The concert, organized in a 1300-person capacity yard of the Litomysl Castle, was also viewed by Czech Republic President Vaclav Klaus and Culture Minister Alena Hanakova. Minister Hanakova said it was a pleasure to open the festival with Say and thanked him for his contributions to the opening.

Say also took the stage on June 15 and will appear on the stage again on June 16. The Smetana Litomysl Festival will continue until July 8 with the participation of more world renowned artists. (Istanbul-Hürriyet Daily News)

Efes Pilsen One Love Festival to rock Istanbul

This year in addition to Selah Sue, Kimbra and Pulp, the Kaiser Chiefs, Damien Rice and Yuck will perform for fans in Istanbul.

The Efes Pilsen One Love Music Festival will once again attract music lovers to Istanbul’s santralistanbul venue July 14 and 15.

A press conference held June 14 revealed this year’s festival lineup, which is in a mini-festival format spread over two days, along with new activities to be held as part of the event. Organizers of Istanbul’s famous music festival “Efes One Love” announced that famous female vocalists such as Kimbra, Pulp and Selah Sue will headline on the main stage.

The British alternative rock band Pulp, which formed in England in 1978, will perform a selection of their top hits with all of their original members after taking a ten-year hiatus from the stage.

Kimbra, a New Zealand singer, achieved international fame with her duet “Somebody That I Used to Know” with Australian artist Gotye last year. Her eclectic fashion sense and stylish music videos have quickly earned her fans around the world.

Selah Sue, a Belgian funk and soul musician, sold over 400,000 copies of her debut album in Europe — 200,000 of those in France alone. She won a European Borders Breakers Award (EBBA) in January 2012 along with the EBBA Public Choice award.

This year in addition to Selah Sue, Kimbra and Pulp, the Kaiser Chiefs, Damien Rice and Yuck will perform for fans in Istanbul. The festival team also announced it will be host the Replikas, Elif Çağlar and Neyse, as well as Mira, who attracts attention for wonderful song lyrics.

The Kaiser Chiefs will be one of the highlights of the festival. Damien Rice, who struck it big with the song “The Blower’s Daughter,” is also expected to draw a large number of fans. Yuck will also perform for fans at their stage.

“Efes Pilsen One Love has become a festival that gather famous international groups together with their fans,” Emre Topsakaloğlu, Efes Turkey Sponsorship digital and social media marketing manager said at the press conference.

Up to now the festival has brought a total of 72 groups and 1,459 artists to the stage in Istanbul, Topsakaloğlu said. “Efes One love has become one of the festivals in the European Festival Association.”

This means the festival is among the best festivals in Europe, according to Topsakaloğlu.
Last year 30,000 people attended the festival, Topsakaloğlu said.

Pulp.
Festival program
This year the festival will start at 2 p.m. Festival-goers will be able to watch Ahmet Musluoğlu, Neyse and Replikas on the first day of the event on the main stage, followed by Yuck and Damien Rice, as well as Kaiser Chiefs.

Style-Ist, Mira and Elif Çağlar will all perform on the main stage on July 15.

Selah Sue and Kimbra will be main highlights of the festival’s second day.

Pulp, meanwhile, will headline the day’s closing act on the main stage.

On July 14, the Social Inclusion Band, Puik’s Journey, Halimden Konan Anlar, Softa, Les Males Propres, Ahali, Kolektif İstanbul ve Korhan Futaci & Kara Orkestra will all be on the second stage. Barıştık Mı, Erkin Gören, The Away Days, On Your Horizon, Kafabindünya, Sapan and Ayyuka will all perform on the second stage on the festival’s second day.

OneLike, which was introduced last year to connect revelers, will let event-goers share their festival experiences on Facebook and Twitter immediately.

OneLike bracelets to be given out at the entrance of the festival will allow revelers to access their Facebook and Twitter accounts. Last year, festival-goers shared 11,667 tweets and 4,276 photos on Facebook. (Istanbul-Hürriyet Daily News)

Maddona in Istanbul; Welcomed with red carpet

A private plane carrying Madonna landed at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport. The singer, who will be giving a concert in this city after some 19 years, left the airport on a red carpet…

The world-renown singer Madonna arrived in Istanbul at about 8.30pm local time on Tuesday as part of her World Tour of concerts. The American singer will be giving a concert in Istanbul on 7 June after some 19 years.

Madonna came to Istanbul from Abu-Dabi with her children, and was welcomed at the airport with a red carpet. 3 planes brought the American singer’s team to Turkey, along with dancers and musicians of 200.

Madonna’a plane was set to land Sabiha Gokcen Airport on the Asian part of Istanbul, but it grounded at Ataturk Airport after obtaining permission. (DHA-İHA)

Turkish pianist defends self following accusations for tweets

AFP Photo

World-renowned Turkish pianist Fazıl Say defended himself today following his recent indictment for “insulting religion,” describing Turkey as the “biggest inspiration” for his well-known works and noting that he had no intention of hurting anyone with his comments.

"I spent my musical life trying to understand the culture, history and spirit of this country," Say said in a statement. "My compositions are being played around the world by many musicians, reaching all kinds of people. Taking that into account, I wouldn't be entirely wrong if I say I contributed to the global recognition of Anatolian culture."

Say said he was forced by others to be on opposing sides with his country due to the incorrect interpretation of his words.

"It makes this difficult process even more unbearable to be insulted and attacked, instead of everyone being there for each other," Say said, adding that he did not intend to insult any person or any institution.

"That would have contradicted an artist's approach and sensitivity," Say said.

"I always respected freedom of thought and speech," he said. "This is a right for everyone. My expectation is that individuals and institutions pay some attention to my music before they judge me to understand how I feel about the values of my society."

Say faces 18 months in prison for “insulting religious values” on Twitter. “Wherever there is a stupid person or a thief, they are believers in God. Is this a paradox?” he said on one occasion; on another, he tweeted, “After tonight, everyone in the country will be an atheist.”
(ISTANBUL - Doğan News Agency)

'Sad for Turkey,' pianist says after indictment for anti-religious tweets is approved

Turkish pianist Fazıl Say said the case trying him for "insultingthe religious values of a section of society" is very sad forTurkey, daily Hürriyet reported today.

The pianist said he was one of 165 people who shared the tweetthat caused him to face imprisonment.

"I just found the parable funny and retweeted it." Saysaid. "The case, which is inconsistent with human rights anduniversal laws, is bad for Turkey's image ."

An Istanbul court has accepted an indictment against theprominent Turkish pianist for his remarks in support of atheismyesterday.

The indictment calls for the pianist to be sentenced to 1.5 yearsin prison.

According to allegations, Say said in a tweet that “Whereverthere is a stupid person or a thief, they are believers in God. Isthis a paradox?” (Hürriyet)

Court accepts indictment against Turkish pianist for anti-religious Tweets

DHA Photo

An Istanbul court has accepted an indictment against prominent Turkish pianist Fazıl Say for his remarks in support of atheism, Doğan news agency reported.

The indictment calls for the pianist to be sentenced to 1.5 years in prison for "insulting the religious values of a section of society."

According to allegations, Say said in a Tweet that “wherever there is a stupid person or a thief, they are believers in God. Is this a paradox?”

On a different occasion, Say tweeted, “After tonight, everyone in the country will be an atheist.” (Hürriyet Daily News)

Can Bonomo continues to Eurovision finals

Can Bonomo, representing Turkey in the Eurovision song contest, stages his show during the semi finals on May 24 night in Azerbeijan’s capital Baku. AFP photo

Can Bonomo, representing Turkey in the Eurovision contest, made it to the finals on May 24 nigth night in the second semifinal of the Eurovision song contest. Lithuania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Ukraine, Sweden, Macedonia, Norway, Estonia, Malta and Turkey are the ten countries that qualified for the Eurovision 2012 final on Saturday after passing through the Thursday semifinal at the Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan.

A total of 18 contesting countries competed during the second semifinals of the competition.
Bonomo’s family said they were very happy for their son and were supporting him from İzmir and Turkey. Noting that most people thought that the committee did not invite the family to Eurovision, Bonomo’s father, Yaşar Bonomo, said he did not go to the competition because of health problems in the family.

The finalists will join another ten performers picked earlier in the week and acts from six nations that were pre-qualified including the UK, France, Germany and host nation Azerbaijan. Among Thursday’s finalists were strong favorites Sweden, Turkey, Serbia and Norway. But the Netherlands, Croatia and Slovenia failed to make it through.

After winning the 2011 contest, Azerbaijan spent 45 million euros to give its capital city a facelift as it welcomes Eurovision fans from all over the continent at this year’s event.

More than 125 million people are expected to watch the contest, which is now in its 57th year.

Can Bonomo held his first rehearsal in Baku May 16 in preparation for the 57th Eurovision Song Contest. Bonomo’s rehearsal of his song “Love Me Back” took place at the Crystal Hall, where he was accompanied by five male dancers. Asked how tension between Turkey and Israel affected him as a Turkish citizen of Jewish origin, Bonomo said, “I am an artist and a singer. I pay close attention to my career. There are nice individuals here from various nations.” (BAKU - Doğan News Agency)

Lady Gaga angers Thai fans with fake Rolex comment

Hürriyet photo

Lady Gaga wants to go shopping in Bangkok for a fake Rolex.

The singer made the comment to her 24 million Twitter followers, sparking an online uproar Thursday as some Thai fans called it offensive, insulting and bad for the country's image.

It's the latest publicity-making turn of events as "The Born This Way Ball" travels through Asia.
Lady Gaga's provocative lyrics and costumes have angered Catholic groups in South Korea and the Philippines and Islamists in Indonesia, where the show may be banned.

Now she is stirring nationalist fervor in Thailand, where people often get upset when the country's seedy underworld is highlighted by outsiders.

Lady Gaga posted her comment after arriving Wednesday in Bangkok ahead of Friday's show. (BANGKOK - The Associated Press)

Ancient city of Myra hosts Swedish choir

The Swedish Ramsberg Choir performed a friendship concert in the ancient city of Myra amphitheater, which will be totally excavated by 2015, according to officials. AA photo

Myra, an ancient city in the southern province of Antalya’s Demre district, played host to its first Turkey-Sweden Friendship concert on May 19.

The Ramsberg Choir, which was formed 70 years ago in the Swedish city of the same name, performed at the event to promote the site, which is still being excavated.

Culture Minister Ertuğrul Günay made a speech before the concert in the ancient city’s amphitheater and said there had been significant developments in Demre in recent years and that work was continuing to make Myra a site known around the world.

The front part of the theater came to light during excavations in the amphitheater, Günay said, adding that the whole theater would be revealed by 2015 at the latest.

Günay said Demre’s attraction was not limited to its amphitheater and nearby rock tombs but featured a number of sites.

“My dream is to make Demre one of the most special centers of tourism in the world,” adding that he hoped to make the town his home once he finishes his political career.

The minister said they would also start working on a Lycian Civilization Museum in the ancient city in the near future.

The Ramsberg concert was also attended by Swedish Consul General to Istanbul Torkel Stiernlöf. (ANTALYA - Anatolia News Agency)

Turkish minister calls on Fazıl Say to stay

A file photo taken on February 9, 2010 shows Turkish pianist and composer Fazil Say posing at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees in Paris, prior to a concert. AFP Photo

Internationally acclaimed Turkish pianist Fazıl Say recently said he was considering leaving the country for good, and Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay has called on him to reconsider. However, on his Twitter account, Say harshly replied to the minister the next day saying “stop talking nonsense.”

Günay made his remarks in a speech he gave May 10 at the European Parliament as the guest of the Friends of Turkey Parliamentary Group, daily Hürriyet reported. Günay said that he did not want any Turkish artist to have negative feelings about Turkey, adding, “As a member of the government, who is responsible for coordinating tourism and cultural affairs of the country, I am strictly careful not to say a word that will hurt an artist. But if some artists insist on saying negative things all the time, I leave it to society to evaluate. I hope that in the future these people will say there is no better place to live than Turkey.” (ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News)

Bonomo in Bosnia for promotion

Can Bonomo

Turkey’s Eurovision representative Can Bonomo arrived in Sarajevo on May 9 to promote his song “Love Me Back” in Bosnia-Herzegovina ahead of the 57th Eurovision Song Contest to take place on May 26 in Baku.

Speaking to the Anatolia news agency at the Sarajevo International Airport, Bonomo said the promotion of “Love Me Back” would be completed with the visit to Bosnia-Herzegovina.

“We visited the Balkan countries recently to promote my song. We will participate in various TV programs while in Bosnia-Herzegovina and give several interviews,” Bonomo said. Bonomo said he had special ties with Bosnia-Herzegovina and that most of his family friends were Bosnian. “I am familiar with Bosnian culture. I love their culture and especially their cuisine,” he said. (SARAJEVO - Anatolia News Agency)

Rihanna briefly hospitalized after New York party

Singer and cast member Rihanna poses on the red carpet as she arrives for the world premiere of the film "Battleship" in Tokyo April 3, 2012. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao

Pop star Rihanna was briefly hospitalized in the US this week and posted a picture on Twitter showing her arm hooked up to an intravenous drip, with media reports citing "exhaustion" and "dehydration."

Several entertainment news websites reported Wednesday that the Barbados-born singer was admitted after attending the Met Costume Ball in New York on Monday night. She had for several days told her Twitter followers that she had been feeling sick.

But when the updates stopped on Tuesday one fan who tweeted Rihanna to ask what was going on prompted the singer to post the picture which showed her trademark long black fake nails and a fluids drip taped up to her arm.

The mediatakeout.com website reported that Rihanna had suffered exhaustion and dehydration after a night of hard partying at the Met, but said she was now "doing better" and had flown back to her home in Los Angeles.

The New York Post, meanwhile, quoted an anonymous source as saying the singer had become sick from "excessive partying and not slowing down." (NEW YORK- Agence France-Presse)

Armenia fined for Eurovision pull-out

Armenian band Dorians was meant to represent the state at Eurovision 2012 in Baku.

The European Broadcasting Union has ordered Armenia to pay its entire participation fee, as well as a fine of 50 per cent, after the country pulled out of the Eurovision song contest in Azerbaijani capital Baku after the deadline for quitting had passed.

In addition, Armenia’s public television will be obliged to broadcast the contest’s final live on the Eurovision night. If it does not comply with these measures, the country may be forced to skip Eurovision 2013.

Armenia’s decision to boycott the contest was made after a 20-year-old Armenian soldier was shot dead on the border between the states. Initial reports suggested he was killed by an Azerbaijani sniper, although Baku insists the cause was friendly fire.

Following the soldier’s death, Armenian celebrities called on the country’s public television to boycott the competition, claiming Armenian performers would not be safe in Azerbaijan.

The two countries fought a war over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh in the 1990s. No peace deal has been signed since the 1994 ceasefire.

The boycott announcement was published on the official Eurovision website, saying that Armenia had decided not to participate in the song contest to be held between May 22-26.
(ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News)