1st International istanbul Opera Festival will be organized as Istanbul 2010 European Culture Capital project with the support of Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul Governorship and istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.

Festival will be realized at the YIldIz Palace, TopkapI Palace, Rumelian Castle and Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theatre during July 2010 under the Art Directorate of Yekta Kara, Head Director of State Opera and Ballet General Directorate. Operas about Turkish culture and life that are included in the repertoire of 1st International Istanbul Opera Festival such as The Abduction from the Seraglio, Fatih the Conqueror (Fatih Sultan Mehmet) and Zaide, will meet with the audience at brilliant Istanbul nights and at original historical decors.

The 4 weeks festival will remain in the minds of art lovers with 8 different opera productions and in total 18 performances. Besides the productions of Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir, Antalya and Samsun State Opera and Ballet, world’s most important and prestigious art institutions such as Deutsche Oper Berlin and Bremen Opera will also perform the most beautiful samples of opera as a company. The creation that performed its World Premier at November 2009 and adopted to the opera with musics of Ludger Vollmer from the movie of the famous Turkish director Fatih Akin “Against the Wall” (Gegen Die Wand - Duvara Karsi) will get out from the borders of Germany for the first time and will be a guest in the 1st International Istanbul Opera Festival. Also famous names of international music arena will also take to the stage in the festival as guest soloist artisans together with Turkish and foreign artisans.

Programme

2-3 July         : G. Rossini Maometto Secondo (Istanbul State Opera and Ballet) - Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theatre
 
5-6-7 July      : Ludger Vollmer Gegen Die Wand (Theatre Bremen) - Rumeli Castle

8-9 July          : G. Rossini Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Deutsche Oper Berlin) - Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theatre

10-11 July      : G.F. Händel  Imeneo (Izmir State Opera and Ballet) - Rumeli Castle

13-14 July      : G. Verdi Aida (Ankara State Opera and Ballet) - Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theatre

16-17-18 July : W. A. Mozart Zaide (Antalya State Opera and Ballet) - Topkapi Palace

19-20-21 July : W. A. Mozart Die Entführung Aus Dem Serail (Istanbul and Samsun State Opera and Ballets) - Yildiz Palace

23 July             :U.Hacibeyli Koroglu (TURKSOY) - Sutluce Convention Center