Gumusluk Music Festival

Festival director: Eren Levendoglu

Festival artistic advisor: Gülsin Onay

This page is sponsored by Cornucopia, the magazine for Connoisseurs of Turkey

A meeting of talents at Bodrum's delightful classical music fest

The Gümüslük Music Festival and Eklisia Summer School is one of Turkey's most intimate gathering of musicians and music lovers, combining recitals in a glorious historic setting with a fascinating programme of workshops.

Eklisia has been operating as a cultural centre for nineteen years. Home is an old hilltop Greek church above Gumusluk bay, where a small fishing village for the past fifty years home has been a haven for artists.

The 4 th Gümüslük International Music Festival will run between July 30 and August 15 and takes place in Gümüslük, Bodrum. Some of the most important classical musicians of our time will be performing, and for many of them, this will be their first time coming to Turkey.

This year for the first time the festival will be organising a concert in the famous antique theatre of Bodrum amphitheatre. The World Youth Festival, founded on September 15, 2001 by MusicaEuropa is composed of the best students at universities, academics and conservatories from five continents. On August 15, Gulsin Onay, the festival's artistic advisor will beperforming with the WYO, with Isin Metin as conductor.

The festivals' artistic director is Eren Levendoglu, a pianist who studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London before moving to Turkey in 2003, and daughter of the Turkish actor Ahmet Levendoglu. Performers on the stage of the festival will at the same time be giving masterclasses to music students from all over the world. Between 27 July and 18 August visiting students will be able to work intensely and play together with performers and other students alike.

Eklisia invites students to explore how to play, develop and communicate with other in this unparallelled setting. The course runs for three weeks. On the days off there are student concerts every night from August 1 - 18.

AT ELIKSIA THIS YEAR

CHAMBER MUSIC

Alma Quartett (masterclasses)

Fabian Kircher and Andreas Greuer (violins), Martin Borner (viola), Markus Beul (cello)

Founded in 1999, the Alma Quartett perform regularly in Germany. They have played together with the Amadeus quartet and Alan Berg quartet and collaborated with Walter Levine and Franz Beyer

Aegean Trio (August 17)

Originally founded in 1998 and originally known as the Trio Mezzo. When Izmir-born Sema Korkut and pianist Seniz Duru by the Russian-born cellist Fulya Erguden, they adopted their presant name and now perform regularly both at home and abroad.

VIOLIN
Valery Oistrakj with Eren Levendoglu (August 10)
Born in Moscow to the family of the illustrious Oistrakhs, Valery Oistrakh represents the third generation of the great violin virtuosi beginning with his grandfather David, and followed by his father Igor.

OBOE/COR ANGLAIS

Bjorn Bohlin (masterclasses)

Plays in the Gothenburg Symphony orchestra as well as being the oboe teacher at the university of Gothenburg. A practitioner of Chigong. Will be working with woodwind players on a programme of good breathing practices.

PIANO

Francesco Libetta (August 14)

Described by Aldo Ciccolini as 'the most talented instrumentalist of his generation'. Has recorded with the Agora label in Italy and the ProMusica label in Norway. Conducts, composes and gives recitals on original instruments.

Ilya Itin (August 1)

Finalist and multi-award winner, Itin has performed with the London Philharmonic, the Tokyo Philharmonic and the St Petersburg Philharmonic, touring extensively in England, giving his BBC Proms debut with the BBC Philharmonic and Vastly Sinaisky

Kemal Gekic (Augsut 7)

Hailed as 'the most talented pianist since Horowitz'

Gülsin Onay (August 6, with the World Youth Orchestra)

Exceptionally gifted Chopin performer. In 2007 she performing with Vladimir Ashkenazy in April and this summer in the USA at the Golandsky Institute International Piano Festival, the Gina Bachauer Festival and the Miami International Piano Festival in Lecce Italy.

VIOLA

Guy Ben-Ziony (August 4, with Christopher Stokes)
Principal viola of Cemerata Nordika, Sweden, and the Tel-Aviv Soloists

On the days off there are student concerts every night from August 1 - 18. Alongside the limited places for active participating students, there is also the opportunity for passive participants to take part in the masterclass programme. Throughout the festival period, members of the public may on a daily basis apply for admission to masterclassses..

The festival is calling for private and corporate sponsors to help it to achieve its ambition of realising an exciting academy/festival programme that will grow into an annual series lasting long into the future. Contact

The festivals' artistic advisor, Gülsin Onay says of the festival 'the Gümüslük Classical Music Festival is my baby, and I watch it grow bigger and better every year with much excitement. To improve the festival, we are continually adding new elements to it. The masterclass programme, which started last year has this year become a summer school. This year, both students and audience have the opportunity to meet with these really very special artists who will play in the festival.

And of course the venue of the festival which is the ancient chapel, Eklisia, that has such a fantastic atmosphere and acoustic, provides the final touch that gives the festival that little bit extra and adds the magical element that we have all begun to look forward to being a part of in the summer months in Bodrum.