28 December 2017•Update: 28 December 2017
By Hilal Ustuk
ISTANBUL
Concerts by award-winning singers, Broadway hits, and film festivals marked the year 2017 for culture and art lovers in Turkey.
The Johann Strauss Orchestra founded by Dutch composer Andre Rieu staged the first big show of the year at Istanbul’s Is Sanat in February.
In the same month, “rock star” violinist Alexnder Markov took the stage in Turkey’s Aegean province of Izmir and the northwestern province of Bursa.
French singer Dany Brillant, who combines the French language with Latin, salsa, cha-cha, and jazz rhythms, performed for Turkish fans two times in February and October.
Well-known Bosnian musician Goran Bregovic took the stage in Turkey’s largest city Istanbul and the Aegean province of Antalya.
Legendary Broadway musical West Side Story delighted theater lovers at Istanbul’s Zorlu PSM Center. Described as a modern-day Romeo and Juliet since its debut in 1957, it put on 20 performances in Istanbul.
Romanians, Russians, Indians, Brits
Souad Massi, an Algerian Berber singer who combines folk music and rock, gave two concerts in Turkey for the Ankara World Music Festival in March and the 6th International Clarinet Festival in Istanbul in September.
Russia’s Red Army Choir or Alexandrov Ensemble, which tragically lost 64 members in a 2016 plane crash, made their first appearance abroad since then at Istanbul’s Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall in April.
Romanian singer Inna performed for Turkish fans as part of Troy Air Fest in Turkey’s western province of Canakkale in August.
British singer-songwriter Tom Odell took the stage at Istanbul’s Zorlu PSM Center in September.
Grammy-winning American singer Marcus Miller in October performed for an enthusiastic audience at Zorlu as part of his European tour.
Indian actor Aamir Khan, in Turkey at the invitation of the Turkish Culture Ministry, met with his fans in Istanbul and Ankara.
The Bollywood star also met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his four-day visit.
American actress and model Lindsay Lohan, American actor-director Matt Dillon, and Bosnian director Danis Tanovic took part in the 54th International Antalya Film Festival.
Bobby Roth, director of popular American TV series such as Prison Break, Lost, and Fringe, plus acclaimed Iranian director Majid Majidi and Hungarian film director Bela Tarr attended the fifth International Bosphorus Film Festival.
Three-time Grammy-winning Swedish singer Lisa Ekdahl performed for her fans in Istanbul on Nov. 23.
Dubbed one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century, Pinchas Zukerman took the stage at Istanbul’s Is Sanat on Dec. 7.
