This summer and autumn, Istanbul and several Turkish cities will become vibrant centers for music lovers as internationally acclaimed artists come together for festivals and concerts.
Jazz Festival highlights
Greek star Konstantinos Argiros opens the season with a concert today at Istanbul’s Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theater. On July 12, legendary Morrissey will perform on the same stage. Norwegian singer-songwriter Aurora will also perform that day at KüçükÇiftlik Park. The Mongolian folk metal band The Hu will perform at KüçükÇiftlik Park on July 16.
The 32nd Istanbul Jazz Festival, organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts, runs until July 17. Brazilian artist Roge performs today at Esma Sultan Mansion and the Kerem Görsev Quintet will appear on July 11 at Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus. On July 30, Justin Timberlake will headline at ITU Stadium, performing both his classic hits and new songs from his album Everything I Thought It Was.
August, September events
The Istanbul Festival runs from Aug. 1 to 17 at Festival Park Yenikapı. Highlights include basketball star-turned-DJ Shaquille O’Neal, who will open the festival on Aug. 1 and Jennifer Lopez, performing on Aug. 5. The festival also features leading Turkish artists such as Sertab Erener, Mor ve Ötesi, maNga, Aleyna Tilki and others.
Pop star Halsey performs at Yenikapı on Aug. 21. She has expressed a deep connection with Türkiye, calling Istanbul a special place to her, and has announced that her Istanbul concert will be released as an official live recording titled Istanbul Experiences.
Iranian musician Mohsen Namjoo will tour multiple cities in September, performing in Ankara (Sept. 19), Diyarbakır (Sept. 21), Izmir (Sept. 23) and Istanbul (Sept. 24).
The "Istanbul Night Flight” series features Swiss pop group Kadebostany performing in Istanbul (Sept. 1), Izmir (Sept. 12) and Ankara (Sept. 25). Grammy-winning violinist Sarah Chang will perform on Oct. 11 at the Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM) Türk Telekom Opera Hall. A variety of Turkish artists will continue the festival’s concerts across cities through November.
Closing performances
French artist Enrico Macias will perform in Istanbul on Sept. 5, and Italian tenor Alessandro Safina will appear there on Oct. 5 at the Harbiye Open-Air Theater.
Russian pianist and composer Evgeny Grinko will tour Izmir, Adana, Mersin and Ankara between Oct. 4 and Oct. 8.
Grammy-winning Canadian jazz pianist Diana Krall will perform on Nov. 1 at Volkswagen Arena.
The Grammy-winning Gipsy Kings, led by Andre Reyes, will tour several cities from late September through early October: Izmir (Sept. 26), Bursa (Sept. 27), Istanbul (Sept. 28), Samsun (Sept. 30), Ankara (Oct. 1) and Antalya (Oct. 3).
British pop icon Robbie Williams will close the season with a concert at ITU Stadium on Oct. 7.