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The 17th International Istanbul Opera and Ballet Festival will bring opera, ballet, modern dance and choral music to audiences from May 21 to June 10, with performances staged on both sides of Istanbul.
Organized by the General Directorate of State Opera and Ballet, known as DOB, the festival will feature 13 works in 22 performances at the Ataturk Cultural Center, widely known as AKM, and Kadikoy Municipality Sureyya Opera House.
Istanbul State Opera and Ballet Director and Art Director Caner Akgun said the festival once again reflects Istanbul’s role as a cultural meeting point, describing the city’s unifying character and global visibility as a major source of motivation.
Akgun said the program brings together three major operas: Gaetano Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s The Abduction from the Seraglio.
The festival will also stage the world premiere of composer Sait Karabulut’s The Little Prince, directed by Sahan Gurkan. Akgun described the work as an important piece that carries a universal story and a life philosophy for both children and adults.
Alongside the opera program, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s well-known ballet Swan Lake will also be performed as part of the festival.
The festival will also host a ballet competition held every two years under the jury presidency of Tan Sagturk. Akgun said internationally known ballet authorities will come to Istanbul to evaluate young ballet artists, with the final night set to take place at Kadikoy Municipality Sureyya Opera House.
A gala night featuring world-renowned dancers will follow at AKM on June 1.
Akgun also said the festival has placed importance on collaboration across different artistic fields. As part of this approach, the State Polyphonic Choir of the Culture Ministry will bring its choral project Aurora to AKM, offering audiences a major choral evening.
The festival will also include the Zuleika Lied Concert on June 3 at Kadikoy Municipality Sureyya Opera House. Akgun explained that “lied,” a form rooted in the German musical tradition, refers to poems set to music and transformed into a poetic musical narrative.
Inspired by Zuleika, a key character in Goethe’s West-Eastern Divan, the concert will feature pianist Sait Karabulut and lied performer Caroline Ulrich.
Akgun also said IDOB has launched a program to train young opera artists in Türkiye for the first time. The program brought in an international coach every month and included regular concerts. A final concert will present a selection of works developed through the program at Kadikoy Municipality Sureyya Opera House.
This year’s festival theme is “Portraits of Women,” with a program that also highlights contemporary issues through dance and staged works.
Akgun said La Traviata will be performed on June 5-6 in collaboration with soloists from the Baku State Opera. Meanwhile, IDOB Modern Dance Company, MDTIst, will stage Erika Silgoner’s Pinocchio.exe: A Puppet for Crooked Times on May 22-24 at Kadikoy Municipality Sureyya Opera House, following a workshop with Silgoner.
The festival will also include Kiz Dogdu and Hic Kus Yok, works that touch on violence against women and gender equality.
Akgun said IDOB continues to take up current social issues through modern dance projects, concerts and the staging of classical opera and ballet works, adding that audiences have shown strong interest in such productions.
Akgun said the General Directorate of State Opera and Ballet stands out as one of Türkiye’s most important cultural institutions through its production quality and scale.
He added that IDOB continues to put forward successful work through its long-rooted history and tradition, while moving ahead with strong seasons and festivals through the support of the Culture and Tourism Ministry.
Tickets are available at festival venue box offices, as well as through operabale.gov.tr and biletinial.com.
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