The Istanbul International Music Festival, formerly Istanbul Festival, (Turkish: Uluslararası İstanbul Müzik Festivali) is a cultural event held every June and July in Istanbul, Turkey. It offers a selection of classical music, ballet, opera and traditional music performances with the participations of famous artists from all over the world. The festival was first held in 1973 and is organized by the Istanbul Foundation of Culture and Arts. Its main sponsor is the Eczacıbaşı Holding. Shows the Location of the Province Ä°stanbul Istanbul (Turkish: Ä°stanbul; a contraction of Greek εις την πολιν into the city, the former Constantinople, Κωνσταντινούπολις) is the largest city in Turkey, and arguably the most important. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Waltz of the Snowflakes from Tchaikovskys The Nutcracker Ballet is the name given to a specific dance form and technique. ... Jump to: navigation, search The foyer of Charles Garniers Opéra, Paris, opened 1875 Opera refers to an European art form consisting of a dramatic stage performance set to music. ... Traditional Music is a quasi-synonym for folk music. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ...

The festival was the idea of Turkish businessman Dr. Nejat F. Eczacıbaşı. The 1st Istanbul Festival was held from June 15 to July 15, 1973, on the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the Republic of Turkey. From its first inception, the Istanbul Festival has aimed at including in its programs the finest examples of artistic creativity in all disciplines of art from both Turkey and abroad, as well as seminars, conferences and lectures. So, other festivals dedicated to film (1984), jazz (1986), contemporary art (1987) and theater (1989) were added to the program of Istanbul Festival. From 1994 on, the name was changed to Istanbul International Music Festival to distinguish it from the other sister festivals. It is accredited as a member of European Festivals Association since 1977. Jump to: navigation, search June 15 is the 166th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (167th in leap years), with 199 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search July 15 is the 196th day (197th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 169 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ... Jump to: navigation, search Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed Film is a term that encompasses motion pictures as individual projects, as well as the field in general. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search Jazz master Louis Armstrong remains one of the most loved and best known of all jazz musicians. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The term contemporary art encompasses all art being done now. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other usages see Theatre (disambiguation) Theater (American English) or Theatre (British English and widespread usage among theatre professionals in the US) is that branch of the performing arts concerned with acting out stories in front of an audience using combinations of speech, gesture, music, dance, sound and spectacle — indeed... Jump to: navigation, search 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... 1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ...

From its beginning, the festival hosted world renowned artists and groups from La Scala Philharmonic (Riccardo Muti), New York Philharmonic (Kurt Masur and Zubin Mehta), Berlin Philharmonic to Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Wolfgang Sawallisch), Dresden Staatskapelle and the soloists, orchestra and chorus of the Mariinsky Theatre (Kirov Opera), from Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Gidon Kremer) to Scottish Chamber Orchestra (Charles Mackerras and Richard Hickox), from Tokyo String Quartet to Hilliard Ensemble, from Aldo Ciccolini to Ivo Pogorelich, from Yehudi Menuhin to Itzhak Perlman, from Julian Lloyd Webber to Mischa Maisky, from Narciso Yepes to Christopher Parkening, from Leyla Gencer to Montserrat Caballé and Elisabeth Scwartkopf, from Bolshoi Ballet to American Ballet Theatre and to Mark Morris, Mehmet Sander, Kibbutz dance companies; and such traditional music groups as Istanbul Oriental Ensemble of Burhan Öçal, Kudsi Erguner’s Tac Mahal project and Whirling Dervishes. The 31st Festival saw the legendary conductor Lorin Maazel with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks and another legend of the music world, Cecilia Bartoli, who received an enthusiastic standing ovation from the audience for minutes. La Scala The Teatro alla Scala (or La Scala for short), in Milan, Italy, is one of the worlds most famous opera houses. ... Riccardo Muti (born July 28, 1941) is an Italian conductor best known for being the music director of Milans La Scala opera house, a position he has held since 1986. ... The New York Philharmonic is an American orchestra based in New York City. ... Kurt Masur (born July 18, 1927) is a conductor. ... Jump to: navigation, search Zubin Mehta (born April 29, 1936) is an Indian-born conductor of European classical music. ... The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the worlds leading orchestras. ... Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest in Dutch) is the best known and most respected symphonic orchestra in the Netherlands, and is generally considered to be among the worlds finest. ... Wolfgang Sawallisch (born August 26, 1923) is a German conductor and pianist. ... The Dresden Staatskapelle is an orchestra based in Dresden,Germany. ... The Maryinsky (or Mariinsky) Theatre (or Theater), is the St Petersburg theatre where the Mariinsky Ballet is located. ... The Mariinsky Theatre, known as the Kirov Opera and Ballet Theatre in 1934-92, is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in St Petersburg. ... The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is a small classical music orchestra which has made many recordings. ... Gidon Kremer (born February 27, 1947) is a Latvian violinist and conductor. ... The Scottish Chamber Orchestra is a professional chamber orchestra based in Edinburgh, United Kingdom. ... Sir Alan Charles Maclaurin Mackerras, CH, AC, CBE (born November 17, 1925) is a conductor. ... The Tokyo String Quartet is an internationally renowned string quartet. ... The Hilliard Ensemble is a British male vocal group devoted to the authentic performance of early music. ... Aldo Ciccolini (born August 15, 1925), is an Italian-born French pianist. ... Ivo Pogorelić ( 20 October 1958) is a Croatian pianist. ... Fritz Kreisler (sitting) with Yehudi Menuhin Lord Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin of Stoke DAbernon, OM, KBE (April 22, 1916. ... Itzhak Perlman Itzhak Perlman (born August 31, 1945) is an Israeli violinist and teacher. ... Julian Lloyd Webber (born April 14, 1951) is a composer and cellist. ... 1948 Born 10 January in Riga, Latvia A cellist, Maisky won the 1966 International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow and began studies with Rostropovich at the Moscow Conservatory while pursuing a concert career throughout the former Soviet Union. ... Christopher Parkening (born 14 December 1947) is an American classical guitarist. ... Leyla Gencer The opera singer Leyla Gencer, (born October 10, 1928) in Istanbul, Turkey, is a famous soprano. ... Jump to: navigation, search Montserrat Caballé The Catalan soprano Montserrat Caballé (born April 12, 1933) is a famous opera singer, renowned for her bel canto technique and her interpretations of the roles of Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti. ... The Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow houses the world renowned Bolshoi Ballet, which has been home to some of the worlds greatest ballet dancers, including Anna Pavlova, Vaslav Nijinsky, Rudolf Nureyev, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Natalia Makarova. ... The American Ballet Theatre is one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century, and a leading company in America. ... Mark Morris Mark Morris (born: August 29, 1956) is an American modern dancer and choreographer whose work is acclaimed for its craftsmanship, ingenuity, humor, and at times eclectic musical accompaniments. ... Kudsi Erguner, born in the fifties in Istanbul, is considered a master of traditional Mevlevi Sufi and is one of the best-known players of the Turkish ney flute. ... The Mevlevi Order or the Mevleviye are a Sufi order founded by the followers of the Persian Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi in 1273 in Konya present day Turkey; also known as The Whirling Dervishes, sometimes called the Howling Dervishes or the Dancing Dervishes due to their famous practice of... Lorin Varencove Maazel (born March 6, 1930) is a conductor, violinist and composer. ... Cecilia Bartoli The Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli (born 4 June 1966) is a popular opera singer and recitalist. ...

Within the context of the 7th Centennial celebration of the Founding of the Ottoman Empire, Vivaldi's Bajazet opera was selected for an exclusive performance. World famous violinist, director and musicologist Fabio Biondi brought this lengthy opera to a powerful two and a half hour performance. Attracting a great deal of attention, this world premiere version of Bajazet was staged at the Hagia Irene Museum for the 27th International Music Festival. Jump to: navigation, search Imperial motto (Ottoman Turkish) Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (the Eternal State) The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital Bursa (1335 - 1365), Edirne (1365-1453), Ä°stanbul (Constantinople) (1453-1922) Imperial anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Sovereigns Padishah of the Osmanli... Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Vivaldi (March 4, 1678, Venice – July 28, 1741, Vienna), nicknamed Il Prete Rosso, meaning The Red Priest, was an Italian priest and baroque music composer. ...

See also

• Istanbul International Jazz Festival

External links

• Official web site