A year ago, 25,000 people gathered at Yenikapı Festival Park for Sami Yusuf’s sold-out concert "Ecstasy: Between Two Seas," a night that once again confirmed him as one of the greatest living stage performers.
He is returning to Türkiye. This time, closer. This time, different.
Yusuf’s "Rooted" concerts consist of four intimate performances with the world music orchestra he founded, Fons Sophiae Collective. The ensemble brings together master musicians from China, Spain, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Morocco, Azerbaijan and Türkiye, removing all distance between artist and audience.
Ney, oud, balaban, bağlama and kemane come together in authentic unity on a single stage. The music is presented in its most honest and beautiful form.
The "Rooted" concerts will take audiences on a journey through the great cultures of the Silk Road in Türkiye, centered on beloved works and timeless classics.
Türkiye’s deep musical heritage – the Mevlevi ney tradition, the ilahi tradition, Ottoman classical music and the mystical poetry of Yunus Emre – emerges in Sami Yusuf’s music like a river flowing underground.
"Rooted" is the moment that the river surfaces: Four evenings flowing from heart and soul.
Yusuf said he is returning to Türkiye for four intimate acoustic concerts in Istanbul and Ankara, describing the experience as deeply meaningful. He added that he will be joined by musicians from different traditions, coming together on a single stage and emphasized the collaborative and reflective nature of the performances.
'Yeşilçam Symphony' by Emel Sayın
Turkish classical music icon Emel Sayın, known as Yeşilçam’s "Mavi Boncuk," a beloved nickname, will reinterpret classic Turkish cinema songs in her new project Yeşilçam Symphony with the Symphonista Philharmonic Orchestra. The concert will take place on June 17 at the Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theatre.
Produced by Lumos Production and Duende Global, the project features a 55-piece Symphonista Philharmonic Orchestra performing symphonic arrangements of iconic Yeşilçam songs.
Musical direction and arrangements are led by composer and conductor Murat Cem Orhan, with Sayın performing alongside the orchestra under the direction of Ibrahim Yazıcı.
The program revisits Sayın’s film-era repertoire, bringing themes of love, longing, loyalty and elegance to the stage through orchestral interpretation.
The production combines music, cinema and memory, with visual elements and stage design intended to recreate the atmosphere of Yeşilçam for the audience.
Following its premiere in Istanbul, Yeşilçam Symphony is planned to tour other cities across Türkiye.