Turkish, Armenian orchestra spreads peace message

Turkish, Armenian orchestra spreads peace message

Monday, July 12, 2010

Vercihan Ziflioğlu

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

The Turkish and Armenian Youth Orchestra is gathering for peace in Turkey. A total of 70 people will come together for three concerts. This is not diplomacy or football, it’s young people meeting in an international environment based in music, says the orchestra’s conductor, Nvart Andreasyan

The Turkish and Armenian Youth Symphony Orchestra is bringing young musicians together for a series of concerts in Turkey in July to give a message of peace to the whole world.

Everything started when Armenian conductor Nvart Adndreasyan decided to go back to the city where she was born. Istanbul meant so many things to her and she decided to use the meanings that are hidden in her heart.

Then she met Cem Mansur, conductor of the Akbank Chamber Orchestra, and he supported Andreasyan’s new project to bring together youth from Turkey and Armenia to build friendships through performing together. The two conductors then chose 35 young people between the ages of 18 and 23 both from Armenia and Turkey.

Speaking to Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, Andreasyan said their project is very important for the process of peace between the two countries.

"This is because our plan means gathering young people in an environment where there is no chance to lose. The environment is international and it is based in music,” said Andreasyan.

Speaking after Andreasyan, Mansur also supported the perception of the Armenian conductor.

“An orchestra is like a body of a person. If a part of a body fails to work properly, then the rest of it cannot work,” Mansur said, adding that the young orchestra members will act as different parts of the body.

The orchestra will bring young Armenian and Turkish musicians together at Boğaziçi University on Tuesday. The youth orchestra will be onstage Thursday at Büyükada Island and it will meet with audiences at Cemal Reşit Rey on Friday.

While the Boğaziçi and Büyükada concerts will be free of charge, tickets are required for the concert at Cemal Reşit Rey and can be purchased through Biletix.

The conductors plan to continue the concert in Yerevan in September. The concert will interpret violin concertos from world-renowned Armenian composer Aram Khacaturyan and Turkish composer Ulvi Cemal Erkin.

There will be also exclusive works from Ottoman Armenian composers.

Hatred becomes love

The symphony orchestra is also supported by Anadolu Culture, a non-governmental organization managed by Osman Kavala.

The orchestra project is planned to be a long-term project.

Nothing that Turkish young people are very curious, he said the same curiosity is present in the Turkish musicians in the orchestra.

“We aim for these young musicians to become friends. The most important thing for them is the music,” said Andreasyan.

“Young Turkish musicians are very exited about this project. We believe that this project may become a really powerful project in the world,” said Mansur.

Music is the common ground for everyone, said Mansur, adding that he took part in a similar project in 2008 and 2009 in South Africa.

“In South Africa I conducted an orchestra with youth of different races and saw the power of music. Before the project those young people in South Africa hated each other because of the misunderstandings that their races had gone through. By the end of our project, those young people hugged each other,” Mansur said.

“Through the power of music, hatred left and in its place came love.”

Invitation to friendship

Both conductors were born in Istanbul, which partly accounts for why the project is important to them.

“I was reminded of the beautiful places of my childhood while I was realizing this project,” said Andreasyan.

Even though Andreasyan says she is a universal citizen, she feels that Istanbul holds a special place in her heart. “It is an great city for me,” she said.

“I remember the time when I was playing on the streets. We fought a lot, but later on we hugged each other and there was peace between us,” she said.

“When I was a child and playing on the streets of Istanbul, we did not know what identity means. We learned it later on.”

Andreasyan said she does not care about the identities of people in the world.

Noting that he has spent his summers on Burgazada Island since he was 12 years old, Mansur said: “When we were small kids, we did not speak only Turkish. We also spoke Armenian and Greek.”

However, he said Istanbul had lost its cosmopolitan nature. “I am very sorry for that,” said Mansur.

“For many years Turkish, Armenians and Greeks lived together in Istanbul. Now I do not what happened,” he said.

“Armenians and Greek people went away and we lost our cultural richness,” he said, adding that nothing will be like it was in the past.

“However, we do have to care for the rest of them,” he said.

“I invite everyone who does not believe in identity, but believes there is something more and deeper in life, to our concerts,” he said.