ISTANBUL 

The 27th Istanbul Jazz Festival kicked off Thursday for jazz enthusiasts.

The festival, organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV), started with a concert with a limited audience observing social distancing.

Renowned pianist Selen Gulun Quintet and jazz vocalists Sibel Kose and Ece Goksu were the first performers.

Festival director Harun Izer told Anadolu Agency that all performing arts were affected by COVID-19.

"It has been a difficult period for all actors, artists as well as sponsors," he said.

He said that the sponsors along with the Culture and Tourism Ministry did not leave them alone in this difficult period.

"I think that the fact that the festival can be watched on digital platforms after Sept. 20 is a win-win. I can say that we adapted ourselves to the new period and discovered ways to switch to digital.

"The biggest advantage of this is that art-lovers who would not normally be able to attend the festival now will be able to access concerts," he said.

The festival will take place in different open-air stages until Sept. 14 and concerts can be watched on online.iksv.org.

The festival had been postponed because of coronavirus in April.