The head of the State Opera and Ballet, Murat Karahan, said Sunday that he believed it was necessary to find ways to encourage Turkish composers to compose operas, adding that they were considering monetary support, including finding sponsors.

Karahan, who is also the general art director, said one look at the way operas were produced in history showed that all such compositions were commissioned. "Opera is not a rich man's art. It is a public one." State policy was needed to introduce opera to the ordinary public, he said. "However, we need sponsors to do more," he said, adding that any support for art meant support for the community, local economy and the entire region.

He admitted that huge conglomerates were yet to knock on their doors, but added that small sponsors came once in a while. "My dream is to create the concept of a Turkish opera.

One leg of this is to create world class orchestras and artists who perform classic operas perfectly and the second is to create a style of Turkish opera." There is a "golden mix" of local influence and universal style, he said.