Several Israeli artists recently took center stage at a number of Turkish cultural festivals as part of Israel’s 75th birthday celebrations.
“As the cultural sector resumes full activity, Israel is sending artists to almost every event and festival,” said Shigal Cohen, cultural attaché at the Israeli consulate in Istanbul.
Musicians Omar Klein and Alexei Grismitz attended the iconic classical music festival organized by the IKSV Foundation (Istanbul Culture and Arts Foundation), which opened in early June.
IKSV also organizes events in fields such as film, theater and dance. Embassy of Israel in Türkiye (Credit: Embassy of Israel in Türkiye)
Klein and Grismitz performed an original and unique program for piano and percussion, a piece inspired by Stravinsky’s iconic work “The Firebird.” The concert was attended by approximately 800 people, a very diverse group of young and old, religious and secular alike, all of whom were fascinated by the musicians’ mastery.
The event’s digital materials featured the “ARTS ISRAEL” logo as well as the logos of all partners in this initiative.
Israeli mandolinist Avi Avital also performed at the IKSV festival. His outdoor concert was held at the Koç Museum in Istanbul in front of his 750 guests, who greatly enjoyed his music.
During his visit to Turkey, Avital also met with prominent Turkish pianist and composer Fazil Say, who was in Israel in May for a series of concerts with the Tel Aviv Philharmonic Orchestra.
Avital gave Fazil a master class in mandolin composition for a piece the pianist was working on. The Turkish artist described his fellow Israeli musician as a “mandolin genius”.
Fazil posted a photo with Avital on his social media channels, and the post received over 10,000 likes.
This article is provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
