The Palestine Youth Orchestra (PYO) Turkey Tour, July 2022
The PYO performing in Turkey
The Palestine Youth Orchestra (PYO) completed a successful tour in Turkey this summer after three years of inactivity due to COVID-19.
The 84 musicians included members from Palestine and the Palestinian diaspora, from Egypt, Algeria, the Netherlands, Spain and Jordan in addition to Turkish and European musicians. The orchestra members residing in Palestine met first in Birzeit for an intensive workshop. Afterwards, all members met for an intensive period of rehearsals from 11-18 July in Ankara, where they were coached by professional Turkish experienced musicians.
The Turkish first lady Emine Erdoğan invited the PYO to play in Turkey under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and she hosted the young Palestinian musicians at the Presidential Compound before the first concert for a special dinner including a performance of the Arabic Takht (members of the PYO playing Arabic instruments).
They prepared a programme of symphonic music including a mosaic of Arabic and Turkish music. In the Palestine-Turkey Peace Concert held on 19 July at the CSO Ada Ankara Historical Hall, the PYO performed the world premiere of two works that were composed for peace: Rhapsody of Anatolia, composed by Yusuf Yalçın and Dance of Altos by Palestinian Bishara Kell, where folk melodies of the two countries were blended. The orchestra performed Kürdilihicazkar Longa by Kemani Sebuh Efendi and Aşık Veysel’s I’m on a long and narrow road in addition to works by Acak Visel, Suhail Khoury and Tamer Sahouri and closed the concert with Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 “From the New World”. The concerts were conducted by the Turkish maestro Cemi’I Can Deliorman, Chief of the Presidential Symphony Orchestra (CSO) https://www.cemican.org.
The second concert was held in Istanbul on 21 July 2022 at AKM Theatre Hall – Ataturk Cultural Center. Total attendance of the concerts was approaching 1,600 people.
Support for PYO
CSO Chief Deliorman stated that there are very talented young people in the Palestine Youth Orchestra and they are very excited about their music.
Mariam Afifi a PYO member/ contrabass player: “We want to make ourselves and our country’s name heard in Turkey. We want to make our voices heard all over the world, with the unifying power of music.”
Suhail Khoury, PYO Director stated that the invitation from the highest authority of the Republic of Turkey was very special, he added: “We are very pleased to be here. There has been great solidarity between the two countries. Our cultures are already very close. It is a very important opportunity.”