A magical farewell to 2016 with classical music festival in Cappadocia

The magical Cappadocia, famous for its fairy chimneys, is getting ready to host another unforgettable event on New Year's Eve. The annual musical event, "Klasik Keyifler," which won the Best Classical Music Event of the Year award at the 2015 Donizetti Music Awards is set to take place in the unearthly atmosphere of Cappadocia on Dec. 30, Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. Organized to introduce classical music to large masses, "Klasik Keyifler" organizes concerts in unusual venues such as caves, ancient oil presses, living rooms, town squares, a Seljuk caravanserai and hospital, Byzantine churches and monasteries, an Ottoman madrasah, and art galleries aiming to close the boundaries between performers and listeners by enabling interaction and by informalizing the concert venues in ways that both reflect the historical origins of chamber music as well as offer a personal immediacy that can be hard to find in large modern concert halls.

For thousands of years the land now known as Turkey has been a major crossroads, and the fragments of hundreds of different civilizations are visible side by side. "Klasik Keyifler" aspires to connect players from around the globe in order to make music together in these fragments of multicultural and historical sites thus feeding the imaginations that interpret the musical classics of both the East and West. Since, "Klasik Keyifler" has invited young musicians to workshops in Cappadocia and Istanbul, ranging in age from 12- 30 from Turkey, Germany, Italy, Iran, Canada, U.S., Afghanistan, France, Syria, Russia, Columbia, Japan and the U.K.

The New Year's Eve Exclusive Event will be launched on Dec. 30 with a concert titled "Bach in the Candle Light" by internationally recognized violinist Ellen Jewett who is also the founder of "Klasik Keyifler Foundation for Music." During the concert, Jewett will present a repertoire featuring a fine selection of Bach's compositions including Bach's famous "The Partita in D minor for solo violin," a.k.a. "The Chaconne." The concert which will take place only hours before the New Year will enchant the audience with his theme "From West to East: A Musical Journey From Vienna to Anatolia." The audience will have a chance to listen to the rich repertoire of the Anadolu Percussion Quintet, the Bilkent Symphonic Orchestra and Samsun State Orchestra. Özgecan Gençer, the rising star of Turkish opera will be the special guest of the concert. On Jan. 1, harpist Bengi Canatan, cellist Gökhan Bağcı and flutist Cem Önertürk will present the first musical feast of 2017.