ISTANBUL

In a first, all concerts planned for this year’s Istanbul Music Festival in Turkey will be held outdoors under pandemic measures, the organizers said on Thursday.

The festival's 49th edition with the theme, 'Another World is Possible,' is scheduled between Aug. 18 and Sept. 16.

“With its theme, repertoire, and side events, this year’s festival will respond to the question ‘Is another world possible?’ in the language of music,” the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV) said in a press release. “In the hopes of a new era ruled by love, respect, hope, solidarity and trust, the festival explores new forms of music."

As many as 21 concerts will be held at 14 different venues in Istanbul, and the festival will host over 30 soloists, ensembles and orchestras from Turkey and abroad.

Listeners will enjoy impressive concerts by various ensembles such as Tekfen Philharmonic Orchestra, Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra, and Accademia Bizantina, as well as stars including Fazil Say, Idil Biret, Khatia Buniatishvili, Anna Vinnitskaya, Alexander Rudin, Hande Kuden, Paul Meyer, and Ufuk-Bahar Dorduncu.

The main venues for this year’s festival are Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theatre, Sakip Sabanci Museum Fistikli Teras, UNIQ Istanbul Open-Air Stage, Palais de France, Palazzo di Venezia, ARTER Backyard, Rahmi M. Koc Museum, Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus, and St. Benoit French High School Courtyard.

Free of charge weekend concerts will also be organized at the Ataturk Urban Forest, Fenerbahce Park and Yildiz Park.