THE YEAR OF IN (2015)

Occupying an important place in the near history of Turkey, Australia and , the Battle of () is a sea and land warfare rarely found in the history of the world. The respect, love and sympathy that fl ourished among the Turkish, Australian and New Zealander soldiers at Gallipoli went down in history, proving to be an extraordinary experience on battlefi elds. The Gallipoli Campaign that entered into literature as the Battle of Gallipoli and gave shape to the history and future of Turkey, Australia and New Zealand played a signifi cant role in the formation of respective national identities. The Gallipoli Peninsula is a resting place for thousands of Anzac, English, French, Canadian, Irish, Nepalese, Indian, Senegalese and Turkish soldiers. Today, instead of keeping old animosities alive and people apart as a result of past pain and suffering, this piece of land gathers the Australian, New Zealander and Turkish peoples around a sense of brotherhood.

The commemorations of the centenary of the Gallipoli Campaign aim at keeping the spirit of Gallipoli alive that is considered to be a symbol of friendship among thousands based on mutual respect and admiration. The events during the commemorations will pass this honorable heritage onto the future generations and make it permanent.

Within the scope of the joint declaration released during the visit of the then Prime Minister Mrs. Julia Gillard to then Prime Minister Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan between 24-26 April 2014, 2015 was declared as the Year of Turkey in Australia and Year of Australia in Turkey on the occasion of the Ground Battles of Gallipoli commemorations. That means, 2015 is marking the mutual culture year of both countries.

The principles below were adopted under the said declaration:

• to affi rm the friendly and strong relations, between the governments of Turkey and Australia,

• to affi rm the understanding and respect that sprung up among the fallen soldiers during the ground battles of Gallipoli of the WWI and contributed to heal the injuries

• to acknowledge that the historical relations between these two nations have been improving through political and social contacts as well as growing trade, thereby laying the foundation for powerful and mutually- benefi cial bilateral relations.

• to use the opportunity of Gallipoli Centenary in order to refl ect upon the common history and to gain a future-oriented momentum for relations between two countries.

• to promote the empowerment of political, economic and cultural ties as well as the contacts between both peoples.

• to refer to the Action Plan for Cooperation that was signed between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of both governments on 1st February 2011.

A series of events and activities will be carried out, in Turkey and in Australia, throughout 2015 in order to foster historic, social and cultural understanding and awareness, with a view to strenghtening the common historic and cultural relations going back a century and paying respect for the loss of both countries. PROGRAMME

NOAH’S ARK HALITUS Composition: Mercan Dede & Göksel Baktagir

METROPOL Clarinet solo: Improvisation

MAIDEN’S TOWER YARİM SENDEN AYRILALI Soloist: Demet Tuğcu Composition: Turgay Erdener

Darbuka solo: Improvisation

GRAND BAZAAR SULTAN-İ YEGAH SİRTO Composition: Şadi Işılay

Ney solo: Improvisation

LAND OF TOLERANCE ARMENIAN HYMN Soloist: Kevork Tavityan Arrangement: Aytuğ Ülgen

GEL GÖR BENİ AŞK NEYLEDİ Soloist: Laura King Arrangement: Oğuzhan Balcı

GÜZEL AŞIK CEVRİMİZİ Soloist: Ayşe Göknur Shanal Arrangement: Oğuzhan Balcı

EBRU Composition: Ahmet Baran & Kamuran Umuzdaş

Rebab solo: Improvisation

BLACK SEA GELEVARA RIVER Soloists: Kevork Tavityan & Demet Tuğcu Composition: Anonymous Arrangement: Aytuğ Ülgen

KÖROĞLU KÖROĞLU Soloist: Tuncay Kurtoğlu Composition: A. Adnan Saygun Arrangement: Naci Özgüç THE FOUNTAINS Oud solo: Improvisation

THE INNER GARDEN YİNE BİR GÜLNİHAL (TOPKAPI PALACE) Composition: Dede Efendi Arrangement: Oğuzhan Balcı

A’MED NESİMİ Soloist: Demet Tuğcu Composition: Abdülkadir Meragi Arrangement: Tuluğ Tırpan

PİRİ REİS GÖÇMEN KUŞLAR Composition: Ahmet Baran & Kamuran Umuzdaş

GALLIPOLI BAŞKA TOPRAKLARIN ÇOCUKLARI (CHILDREN OF ANOTHER LAND) Composition: Aytuğ Ülgen & Melis Öztoprak

SONG OF ÇANAKKALE Soloist: Tuncay Kurtoğlu Solo Cello: Tarık Aydoğan Composition: Anonymous Arrangement: Aytuğ Ülgen

ANATOLIA UZUN İNCE BİR YOLDAYIM Soloists: Tuncay Kurtoğlu & Demet Tuğcu Composition: Aşık Veysel Arrangement: Naci Özgüç

POTPOURRI ALLA TURCA Composition: W.A.Mozart & Turkish Traditional Arrangement: Aytuğ Ülgen A BRIEF LOOK AT “THE CULTURAL ICONS OF TURKEY”

Noah’s Ark / Ağrı According to belief, the vessel God commanded Noah to build before the Great Flood for the continuation of the human race and living beings... Mount Judi, located in the Turkish province of Şırnak, is indicated as the landing site of the ark in The Qur’an and the remnants of the ark are claimed to be found on Mount Ararat on April 27 2010.

Cruise Ship, Bosphorus, Bosphorus Bridge / A city Bonaparte deeply admired, a city for which Münir Nurettin Selçuk composed songs, a city that enamours everyone… And the exquisite Strait that gives İstanbul the title the only city in the world connecting two continents and guiding the largest ships all over the world.

Taksim Tram / İstanbul Square and İstiklal Street… The heart of the city, through which nearly three million people pass everyday. Full of art galleries, boutiques, book-stores, cafes, bars, venues, restaurants, historical patisseries, chocolatiers. And of course the famous nostalgic red tram that runs along İstiklal.

Ortaköy Mosque / İstanbul Also known as the Ortaköy Mosque, the Grand Imperial Mosque and its picturesque waterside with the view of the Bosphorus at its utmost beauty, waves that wash the shore and the most fortunate pigeons in world…

Galata Tower / İstanbul One of the most important symbols of İstanbul’s skyline… Built in 528 as one of the oldest towers in the world and 70 meters high, Tower brings forth the authentic texture of İstanbul which combines the contemporary and the traditional in the most spectacular way.

Maiden’s Tower / İstanbul Situated at the entrance of the Bosphorus, sits on a tiny islet off the coast of Üsküdar, one of the most beautiful lighthouses in the world. Maiden’s Tower is the most popular landmark and monument of the city of İstanbul. Grand Bazaar / İstanbul One of the largest and oldest shopping centres in the world with its 4.000 shops, 30.000 square meter vast grounds and 350.000 daily visitors. Built by Fatih Sultan Mehmet, its foundations laid 550 years ago, Grand Bazaar is a magnificent historical place.

Turkish Carpet Turkish carpets and rugs, either hand-knotted or flat-woven (Kilim, Soumak, Cicim, Zili), are amongst the most well-known and established hand-crafted art works in the world.

Turkish Coffee You put a cup of water in the tiny pot (cezve), a spoon of coffee, usually with sugar. With its particular method of preparation, Turkish coffee has a specific fragrance, foam and taste. It has ceremonial value, with or without Turkish delight or liquor served along. Enjoyed best in company and on occasion followed by some fortune-telling...

Turkish Tea With its scent coming from the damp and fertile fields of the eastern Black Sea coast, çay is typically prepared using two kettles. Either dark and strong or bright and light, it is served in traditional slim- waist glasses with cubes of beet sugar and a slice of lemon.

Hagia Sofia / İstanbul Originally built as a church by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian nearly 1500 years ago, Hagia Sofia was later transformed into a mosque when the city was taken by the Ottomans and now serves as a museum. A majestic architectural masterpiece: .

Sultanahmet Mosque / İstanbul Commissioned by Ahmed the First 400 years ago, the mosque is lined with more than 20,000 hand- made style ceramic tiles and is the first mosque in Turkey to have six minarets. Sultanahmet Camii or as Europeans call it, The Blue Mosque, is a glorious and unique edifice. Ankara the Capital and Anıtkabir Ankara’s history can be tracked back to ten thousand years. It’s the home to the symbol of the national sovereignty, the National Assembly, the mausoleum of the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk…

Çanakkale Martyrs’ Memorial / Çanakkale Çanakkale Martyrs’ Memorial, is a war memorial, located within the Gallipoli Peninsula, commemorating the service of about 253,000 Turkish soldiers who participated at the Battle of Gallipoli, which took place in 1915 during First World War. It was designed by Feridun Kip, İsmail Utkular ve Doğan Erginbaş.

Mount Nemrut / Adıyaman Mount Nemrut lies near Adıyaman, measuring 2.150 meters in height. On the summit are huge statues of Greek and Iranian gods, built in 62 BC. A breath taking site on UNESCO’s World Heritage list...

Lycian Rock Tombs / Muğla An early federation, said to have inspired the framing of the United States Constitution, Lycians left behind precious presents before they vacated the world stage of historical time. The gorgeous rock- cut tombs in the sides of cliffs are just some of them.

The Trojan Horse / Çanakkale Situated on the upper-west corner of the Minor, land of legends, is the name of yet another historical event, witnessing the war between and Trojans, dating more than three thousands years back...

Zeugma / Gaziantep Today’s Belkıs village, is an ancient city of Commagene, which envelopes today’s sorrow with the glory of ancient times. From to the Romans, it is a passage between China and Euphrates. Even if its mosaics survived to this day, Zeugma couldn’t fulfil its function as a bridge between past and future. Oud The oud is a pear-shaped, stringed instrument made from agarwood, also known as oud or the Indian aloe tree, hence the name. Yahya Kemal said “Old İstanbul is in the sound of an oud” after hearing the romantic sounding instrument being played. The sound of the oud vibrates within its hollow body as the udi pours out his heart into ours.

Bath Slippers These inlaid wooden slippers were used to be worn in Ottoman hammams to prevent sliding and tumbling down.

Tulip Having entered Ottoman life and become the symbol of wealth and also of the culture of an era in 18th century, tulips are said to have been sent as a gift to Dutch Royalty by Suleyman The Magnificent...

Pamukkale / Denizli Meaning “cotton castle”, Pamukkale is a unique natural site in Denizli province with hot springs and snow-white travertine. Recognized as a World Heritage Site, Pamukkale is a wonder of the world, with its therapeutic thermal waters.

Amphitheatres Not only used for concerts and plays, but also for religious, political and philosophical discussions, amphitheatres were where the community’s heart pulsated. There are nearly hundreds of ruins of these structures without precedents and more awaiting to be discovered.

Aphrodisias / Aydın Named after Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, is a small ancient Greek city. Home of the first settlers around 2800 BC, Aphrodisias harbours the most well-preserved ancient stadium in the lands of and astounds visitiors with the Temple of Aphrodite, an Odeon, a museum, a theatre and a hammam. Didim / Aydın A touristic site, the first habitation traces of which date back to 8000 BC, Didim is the home to one of the most important historical remnants, Temple of Apollo. Didim, with its ‘Holy Path’, breath-taking ruins and astonishing historical value…

Göbekli Tepe / Şanlıurfa An incredible discovery on the land of Anatolia that amazed the archaeologists… In a period during which the Neolitic man hadn’t even tamed animals, Göbeklitepe was built as the oldest and biggest temple in the world.

Topkapı Emerald Dagger The Topkapı Emerald Dagger is the renowned jewel-studded dagger, subject matter to films, encrusted with diamonds, enamelled and mother of pearl inlaid, topped by a golden watch with an emerald lid… In 1747, the Sultan Mahmud I had the dagger made for Nadir Shah of Persia, but the Shah was assassinated before the emissary had left the Empire’s boundaries. So the retained dagger, a masterpiece of the highest artistic traditions, is displayed in the Palace.

İzmir Clock Tower A large metropolis with almost 4.000 years of recorded urban history, home of many civilizations and the unmatched riches of Ionian culture… İzmir has been the symbol of tolerance, fraternity, and coexistence. The clock tower located at the Konak Square welcomes everyone… The Temple of Apollo / Antalya A unique temple ascending to the sky, dedicated to the god of the sun, is one of the most impressive free-standing monuments on the Western coast. Despite its gigantic size and 2000 years of history, the miraculous Temple of Apollo has made it to our day.

Ephesus and Celcus Library / İzmir One of the 12 Ionian cities during the classical Greek era… A dreamlike ancient city, constructed in the Stone Age… Home of the extraordinarily beautiful Celcus Library, the ruins of one of the seven wonders of the world, Temple of Artemis, House of the Virgin Mary and the like...

Antalya One of the most important tourist centres of Turkey… With approximately 300 days of heart- warming sunshine, unique beaches, waterfalls, cliffs and thousands of years of history, Antalya is the pearl of the Mediterranean.

Konya “Come, come, whoever you are. Ours is not a caravan of despair, come, even if you have broken your vows a thousand times” say the inviting words of Mevlana Celaleddin, known as to the West. A museum since 1926, the dervish lodge welcomes and embraces everyone beside a rose garden in …

All textual material taken from the website of “Cultural Icons of Turkey”, a project by Iconisus. All posters can be downloaded for free at: www.turkiyeposterleri.com THE ORCHESTRA OF SAMSUN STATE OPERA & BALLET

Canan CİHANGİR Arda Bengi YARDIMLI Ayçagül YILDIZ Buse ÜNLÜOĞLU Konzertmeister 1st Violin 1st Violin Contrabass

Ceren AKÇAY YÜKSEL Çise KORKMAZ Didem NALLAR Dilara TANRIVERDİ DOĞAN Viola 1st Violin 2nd Violin 2nd Violin

Eda Beste FINDIKLI Emre ÖZKUL Eylül BENEK SALCAN Gökçen ERDEM Cello Cello 2nd Violin Viola Gözde ÖZCAN İdil ÖĞÜT Nagehan SEÇKİN Nazlı Ezgi ÇELİKEL 2nd Violin 1st Violin Cello 1st Violin

Özgün TEZCAN Seçil KÜÇÜKÇELEBİ Simge Ece ALTAY Yasemin ÖRGÜT Viola 2nd Violin 2nd Violin Viola

and AUSTRALIAN GUEST ARTISTS

Lisa BRECKINRIDGE / Flute Giselle GABRIELS / Oboe

Matthew OCKENDEN / Bassoon Gökçen ERDEM Viola James McCROW / French Horn Michael WRAY / French Horn TURKEY in MUSIC

Directed by: Beyhan Murphy

Musical Director and Conductor: Aytuğ Ülgen

Sound Designer & Additional Music: İbrahim Özmen

VISUALS

Vintage posters: Emrah Yücel (Iconisus)

Video editing & additional material : Doğuş Bitecik

Film material: Illusionist Dramaturgié & field operations: Aysun Özuğurlu Concept artist: Yiğit Atlay CG artist: Serdar Korkmaz, Furkan Alabaş Filmwork & editing: ATTIC Studio Technical Manager: Kerem Üstündağ OPERATIONS

Project Administrator: Volkan Kıran

Production Manager & Operations: Cem Görk

Tour Manager & Assistant Administrator: Arkın Zirek

Project Assistant: Şafak Uysal

Stage Manager: Senem Kalender

Operations Assistant: Benan Göktan

Project Assistant: Ayşegül Üldeş

Booklet Design: Engin Ernur Pulluk

BEYHAN MURPHY Director

Born in Istanbul, Beyhan Murphy is a graduate of London School of Contemporary Dance. She lived and worked in the United Kingdom between 1975-1992 as a freelance dancer-choreographer & teacher. Since 1992, BM has worked in Turkey and has become one of the leading stage directors and choreographers in the country as well as creating opportunities for numerous artists to develop their work and training a generation of dancers and arts management staff. BM has been the artistic director of Istanbul State Ballet; founder/ director of Modern Dance companies of Ankara and Istanbul; Arts Advisor to the Directorate General of State Opera & Ballet; the Director of Performing Arts of Istanbul 2010 European Culture Capital, during which she initiated and ran several big scale performing arts projects (dance, theatre, performance art); and, finally, the artistic director of the 2013 Turkish Cultural Year in China Opening Gala, for which she created The Silk,The Sword & The Pen with 100 artists including chorus & orchestra. She has written, choreographed and directed several dance-drama and dance productions based on Turkish cultural themes, which have toured across several countries; has brought to Turkey many well-known international choreographers, dance artists, companies and teachers; developed cross-over projects and inter-disciplinary works, initiating projects with photographers, designers, composers and writers; and prepared programmes for special evenings for several NGOs and Ministries – as in The Turkish Knot special programme devised for the 4th Summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States. She currently has been appointed as the Performing Arts Coordinator of the Year of Turkey in Australia 2015 as well as the Dance Curator for Europalia 2015. BM is a resident choreographer of the Istanbul State Opera & Ballet and is the holder of several awards granted by the Ministry of Culture & Tourism, Mevlana Foundation, Rotary Club and IBAFF Premio mias Barzaj (Spain).

AYTUĞ ÜLGEN Conductor

With a wide-range of interests varying from civil aviation to semiotics, from anthropology to medicine, Aytuğ Ülgen has made many studies and research, written more than 200 articles, and translated texts from , Ottoman, English, Russian and Japanese. He has made and been a part of many television and radio programs as a producer and advisor. As he was studying for his postgraduate degree in Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory’s Department of Opera and Symphonic Conducting, he worked with Prof. Leonid Nikolaev, Prof. Gennady Rozhdestvensky and Prof. Vladimir Ponkin on opera and symphonic conducting, and with Prof. Yuri Butsko on orchestration, analysis and reading partiture. He is the resident conductor and general music director of IBM Symphony Orchestra and IBM Chamber Orchestra, the resident conductor and artistic consultant of Mosfilm Studios Film Music Orchestras, the art director of Rostov Chamber Orchestra, the conductor of Mersin State Opera and Ballet Orchestra and the director of Mersin University State Conservatory Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Opera Music Studio. Since 2010, he has been teaching harmony, counterpoint, form knowledge, theory, orchestration, and reading partiture in Mersin State Conservatory. He is the head of the department of Composition and Orchestral Conducting as well as the department of Music Theory.

İBRAHİM ÖZMEN Sound Design

İbrahim Özmen was born in Istanbul in 1985. He began classical training with piano at the age of five. He had the opportunity to work with such renowned masters as Niyazi Sayın, Kudsi Ergüner, Süleyman Ergüner, Kani Karaca and Nezih Uzel on Turkish classical music and philosophy of music. He was admitted to ITU State Conservatory’s Musicology Department in 2003 and studied music therapy. In 2007, he began to focus completely on orchestral composition and music therapy. From 2008 on, he co-produced visual music for two years with Mercan Dede as well as composing State Opera and Ballet’s “Barbaros” under Mercan’s artistic direction. In 2013, he composed “Silk, Sword & Pen,” which premiered in Beijing as part of Chinese- Turkish Culture Year.

SOLOISTS

TUNCAY KURTOĞLU Bass

Born in 1970, Ankara, Kurtoğlu completed Gazi University’s Department of Music Education. For 25 years, he interpreted several bass characters and gave numerous concerts, in addition to performing in top venues in Italy, Chile, Sweden, Bulgaria, Austria, Serbia, Greece and Belgium, as well as being granted prestigious awards in countless international competitions such as Leyla Gencer, Barcelona Vinas, Tchaikovsky Verviers, Valsesia and Alcamo. Still performing with the music ensemble 3 BASSES, not to mention his appearance in the roles of Don Carlos “Le Grand Inquisiteur” and Falstaff “Pistola” in Hamburg Staatsoper for the last two years, Kurtoğlu teaches in Başkent and Eskişehir Anatolian universities as a guest instructor.

KEVORK TAVITYAN Baritone

Born in Istanbul, 1968, Tavityan graduated from Istanbul State Conservatory in 1993 and received a Master of Performance from the Academy in 1996. He made his professional debut as Dulcamara in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’Amore in 1996 and ever since has been giving several recitals with lied and oratorio repertoire, ranging from Bach’s Cantatas, Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, Gounod’s St. Cecile Messe, Fauré’s Requiem and Schubert’s Winterreise and Die Schöne Müllerin. As a chorus conductor and a soloist, he has had many successful concerts in Paris, Munich, Montreal, Plovdiv, Salerno, Essen, Hannover, Beijing and Shanghai. He currently conducts the opera chorus of the State Opera and Ballet of Istanbul.

DEMET TUĞCU Soprano

Having started to sing at the age of nine in Bursa State Theatre’s children choir, Tuğcu studied viola at the Bursa Academy of Fine Arts and graduated in 2000. She performed several soprano roles from Mozart’s Arminda to Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, from Bizet’s Carmen to Sabri Tuluğ Tırpan’s Gaia Symphony. She won an honourable mention in Siemens Voice Competition in 2006, and represented Turkey in the finals of the Austrian Belvedere in 2007. She received a scholarship from Austrian Culture Center to study at the Salzburg Mozarteum with Edith Wiens for the summer of 2008. She graduated from Istanbul State University’s Conservatory of Music, Department of Opera / Singing in 2009, and from Universitat Mozarteum of Salzburg in 2012.

GUEST ARTISTS

LAURA KING Soprano

Australian born, soprano, Laura commenced her music studies, in piano, at age four. Employment as a child singer with Opera Australia instilled in her a passion for singing and operatic performance. Laura has her LmusA in voice (distinction), CmusA in piano, and a BFA, College Of Fine Arts UNSW. In 2013, Laura was selected as a young artist with Pacific Opera, performing in Le nozze di Figaro – Countess Almaviva. In 2014, she performed with Sydney Independent Opera, Love By Lanternlight, Offenbach – Rosette, and Opera New England’s, La Bohème – featured ensemble. This year Laura is a young artist with Pacific Opera.

JOSEF BROWN Actor

Josef has been playing Matt Turner on since 2012, following his appearances as C. Redding in An Officer and A Gentleman, as Dale on , as choreographer on Every Single Saturday, as writer/producer on At The Fork, as Auctus on Spartacus, and as Patrick on Dance Academy. Besides dancing with The Australian Ballet (1991-1996), Sydney Dance Company (1997-2004) and Modern Dance Theatre in Turkey (1996-1997), he originated the role of Johnny Castle in – The Classic Story on Stage (2004). Josef has been a member of the NSW Dance Board and is a respected teacher and coach. He has posed for various books and magazines, including Raw Moves, Black and White, NW, WHO, New Vegetarian, and Venice as well as for the Lois Greenfield Calendar.

AYŞE GÖKNUR SHANAL Soprano

Born in Brisbane, Turkish-Australian soprano Ayşe Göknur Shanal is one of Australia’s most versatile classical singers, displaying outstanding artistry in operatic, recital, oratorio as well as concert repertoire. She is also a passionate advocate of Australian music and its composers, as well as 21st Century works. This year, she will be appearing for Opera Australia as a soloist in a major open-air concert, making her debut with Queensland Symphony Orchestra and releasing her debut CD, with pianist Bradley Gilchrist. She is a holder of many awards such as LGNOS Scholarship, National Liederfest, NSW Wagner Society Grant, Victoria Jennifer Warren Prize, McDonald’s Operatic Aria, Opera Foundation Metropolitan Opera, and Lorelei Jury Prize. LEAD INSTRUMENTS

SONER ÖZER Percussion

Soner Özer graduated from Ankara State Conservatory’s Department of Percussion Instruments in 1989. He was admitted to Paris Versaille Conservatory as Prof. Sylvio Gualda’s pupil, who is known as “’s Best Percussioner” and regarded Özer as “extraordinary talent”. He performed in USA, Germany, Austria, China, Estonia, France, Finland, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Macedonia, Moldova, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Syria and Greece. He joined the Presidential, Bursa, Anatolian University, Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality, Çukurova and Hacettepe University symphony orchestras as a soloist. Conducting workshops on body percussion and concentration, he has been developing his own method as an extension of his experience in training students of all ages.

AHMET BARAN Qanun

Nicknamed “the wonder boy of Turkish Music who took his interpretation beyond borders”, Ahmet Baran was born in 1983 in Ankara. He started music at age eight in TRT Ankara Radio. He studied with the masters of the radio and attended Hacettepe University State Conservatory as he studied composition, harmony, counterpoint, form knowledge, analysis, orchestration, instrumentation, antique modes, and jazz harmony. Having developed a technique for “ten- fingers”, he became a frequent guest artist at the Presidential Palace and took part in concerts with prominent orchestras in his home country as well as in several festivals and concerts in USA, Germany, Italy, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Singapore, China, Greece, Bulgaria, Uzbekistan, Syria, and TRNC.

TARIK AYDOĞAN Bass Guitar - Cello

Born in Balikesir in 1970, Mümtaz Tarık Aydoğan studied at Izmir State Conservatory’s cello department between 1984-1994. He has been working as a cellist at Mersin State Opera and Ballet since 1995. KAMURAN UMUZDAŞ Oud

Born in Diyarbakır and having gained the official title of “Oud Artist” in 1991 as the youngest ever to do so, Umuzdaş worked in Bursa and Mersin State Choirs as well as attending TRT radio-TV programs and recordings. He applied his excellent command of fretless, classical and bass guitar techniques on oud, and aims at merging traditional conventions with contemporary sounds. Besides his first composition, Su Gibi, where he made use of the arpeggio technique associated with the guitar, he has several compositions with polyphonic interpretation of traditional melodies. He continues working at various academic institutions while travelling around the world to bring his excellence in oud and traditional music into contact with as wide of an audience as possible.

TOLGA ÜNALDI Ney - Didgeridoo

Tolga Ünaldı was born in Ankara, 1975. He studied at Hacettepe University’s Ankara State Conservatory, Department of Musicology, Ethnomusicology and Folklore Design. Ünaldı received his MA degree in 2008 from Yıldız Technical University in Istanbul and has been working at the same university since 2002. He plays many different ethno-wind instruments (reed flude, didgeridoo, fujara, bansuri, shakuhachi, kaval…) and percussion. He has performed at many international organisations, concerts and shows. His selected performances include: Istanbul Barok & La Cetra D’Orfeo (Istanbul, 2014); Kanzai Yamamoto Fashion Show (İstanbul 2014), Bonfire Festival (Osaka, 2011), Rothko Chapel (Houston, 2009).

UĞUR ÖNÜR Rebab

Uğur Önür was born in Burdur in 1987. In his early ages, he started to play the gourd violin, a Turkish folk instrument. He studied at Istanbul Technical University’s Turkish Music Conservatory and focused on both Turkish classical music and folk music at the same time. Uğur plays several classical Turkish stringed instruments such as tanbur, rebab, kamancheh and so on. Since 2010, he has been working at TRT Istanbul Radio as a gourd violin artist. In 2015, he launched his album featuring a compilation of various folk songs.

KIVANÇ FINDIKLI Clarinet

Kıvanç Fındıklı began his clarinet education with Oktay Bağırov in Trakya University State Conservatory. He is the third prize-winner of the Young Musicians Competition of Mimar Sinan Rotary Club in 1999, second prize-winner of the 7th International Young Musicians Competition in Dobrich&Albena in Bulgaria in 2002, and the first prize-winner of the International Young Musicians Competition in Sofia, Bulgaria in 2005. Since 2009, he has been performing with Samsun State Opera and Ballet. He has been a part of Cemal Reşid Rey Symphony Orchestra, Bursa Regional State Symphony Orchestra, Şişli Municipality Symphony Orchestra, Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra and Istanbul State Opera and Ballet Orchestra. Coordinating Institution of The Year of Turkey in Australia Directorate General of State Opera & Ballet

Turkey in Music has been prepared with the support of Ministry of Culture & Tourism, Directorate General of Promotion Turkish Embassy in Canberra Turkish Consulate General in Sydney, and The Office of Cultural and Information Affairs

with special thanks to: HE Mr. James Larsen and the Australian Embassy in Ankara

Director of the Year of Australia in Turkey Michelle Wilde

Department of Premier & Cabinet and the Office for Veterans’ Affairs / Caroline Mackaness

State Library NSW / Elise Edmonds Australian War Memorial / Theresa Cronk

Murat Yücel Matt Hassall Tracy Lynch

and Laura King Josef Brown Ayşe Göknur Shanal