ICMA President Remy Franck and Jury member Serhan Bali are currently in Ankara to meet the directors of the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra who will host the next Gala Concert and Award Ceremony in the magnificent Bilkent Hall in Ankara, Turkey. The Gala Concert on March 28 will feature prominent ICMA winners together with the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra.
The Bilkent Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1993 as a unique artistic project of Bilkent University. Developed and managed by the Faculty of Music and Performing Arts, the orchestra is composed of musicians from Turkey and 12 other countries. With these characteristics the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra is the first « private, international and academic » artistic ensemble of Turkey.
The orchestra aims to bring a wide range of activities to large audiences and to spread the appreciation of music through events such as the ‘Bilkent Concert Series’, ‘Turkish Composers Week’ and ‘Education Concerts’ held in its own venues, the Ankara, Erzurum and Erbil Bilkent Concert Halls, and ‘The Bilkent International Anatolia Music Festival’ a touring music festival that has toured all regions in Turkey. With its founding chamber orchestra and modern music ensembles, the orchestra aims to present diverse programs and reach even wider audiences.
Bilkent Symphony Orchestra became the first Turkish ensemble to record internationally for a prestigious label with the release of a CD by EMI in 2003. The orchestra has over 50 CDs distributed worldwide with its own label BMP as well as labels such as Alpha, cpo and Naxos. Today, videos recorded live from concerts are offered to viewers online.
