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A new 100-member orchestra and choir combining traditional Turkish and Western instruments will perform its first concert Wednesday, as part of celebrations marking the 103rd anniversary of the Turkish Republic’s founding.
The International Buca Orchestra and Choir, set up a year ago by the district governor’s office in Buca, a district of Türkiye’s western port city of Izmir, brings together music teachers, amateur musicians and students.
Its stated goal is to carry Turkish music to stages around the world.
The ensemble places the baglama, cura, oud and kanun, long-necked lutes, a zither-like plucked instrument and other staples of Turkish music, alongside strings, woodwinds, piano and percussion.
It will perform this evening at Kasaplar Square in Buca under the theme "The Voice of the Republic."
Project coordinator and music teacher Cenk Aybars Dereli said the group meets three days a week.
Organizers first invited people working in public institutions in the district, then added school students so the ensemble can sustain itself over time.
Dereli said "international" in the name does not mean the members come from different countries.
"We want to arrange Turkish music for Western instruments and introduce it to the whole world," he said.
"We tried to create a choir and orchestra model that doesn’t just perform in Buca but presents our music and tells our culture’s story in different parts of Türkiye and the world."
He said the idea was to build a group that promotes Buca, turns the district into a brand and puts its cultural and artistic life in the spotlight.
Choir instructor Pinar Bagatur, who teaches at a middle school, said Turkish music has a rich repertoire. She said she hopes to inspire young people to love music and to give children a firm grounding in both traditional and international music.
Fellow music teacher Selma Ergenc said the rehearsals have gone well and that members are excited to perform on Republic Day.
Prof. Serkan Celik of the music department at Izmir Katip Celebi University’s Faculty of Art and Design, who serves as the ensemble’s adviser, called music a universal language.
He said the group hopes to perform in many countries and invites both amateur and professional musicians to join.
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