Turkish presidential orchestra to open new concert hall

ANKARA Turkey’s Presidential Symphony Orchestra (CSO) will open the doors of its new concert hall in the capital Ankara to music lovers with a gala event on Dec. 3. The building, whose foundation was laid 23 years ago and has been under construction for years, will be completed with the instructions of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the intensive work of Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy. The new music campus, which is located in the center of the capital with a view of Ankara Castle and Anitkabir Mausoleum and costs about 83 million euros ($99 million), will host the most respected orchestras and soloists from around the world. The new building will serve art lovers with very rich content including classical music, traditional music, world music and popular music. The CSO will host world-famous soprano Angela Gheorghiu and twin sisters Guher and Suher Pekinel, who are among the best piano duos in the world, at a concert under the direction of conductor Cemi’i Can Deliorman on Dec. 3 and 4 and the PSO will meet music lovers for the first time with the new artists who have just joined their family. Monumental pianist Idil Biret on CSO stage Following the opening concert, the CSO will host world-famous pianist Idil Biret on Dec. 5. Biret, who has more than a hundred piano concertos in her repertoire, has recorded more than 130 CDs since 1959 and is known as one of the best and most prolific pianists in the world, will meet with the audience in the capital's highly anticipated concert hall. Referred to as "Turkey's monumental pianist," she will interpret the works of Handel, Beethoven, Debussy, Saygun and Prokofiev for Ankara music lovers. Young pianist Busra Kayikci in Blue Hall Apart from the new CSO building’s main concert hall, in the Blue Hall, with its world-class technology, Busra Kayikci, one of the young representatives of neoclassical music in Turkey, will also give a recital on Dec. 5. Kayikci, who studied piano, ballet and painting as a child and then graduated from the Faculty of Architecture, released her first album "Sketches" (Eskizler) in 2019, consisting of works in minimalist, neoclassical and ambient styles. Kayikci made her debut as a young jazz finalist at the 27th Istanbul Jazz Festival in September with her original works. Tickets on sale After the opening concerts, the Presidential Symphony Orchestra, one of the world’s oldest orchestras, which was founded in 1826 with a professional administrative staff, will continue to host the most respected orchestras and soloists from around the world. Ticket prices for the 2020-21 Concert Season have been set and are on sale. Guests for performances at the CSO Concert Hall will pay 100 TL ($12.85) for the 1st Category, 70 TL ($8.99) for the 2nd Category and 50 TL ($6.42) for the 3rd Category. The 3rd Category prices will be discounted by 50% for students and retirees and for all categories of disabled, veterans and relatives of martyrs.