Simon Mundy, Member of the European Parliament’s Council for Cultural Cooperation, Journalist, Writer and Publisher, who examines member festivals of the European Festivals Association (EFA) “under the microscope” within the scope of the “Festival in Focus” project, evaluated the International Izmir Festival. Having a long conversation via Skype with Filiz Eczacıbaşı Sarper, President of İzmir Culture Art and Education Foundation and Festival Art Director, Mundy shared his impressions and views on the EFA website and social media.

In his article, Mundy mentioned the rich historical and artistic heritage of the Aegean Region and Izmir, emphasizing that the International Izmir Festival brings together the past and present through events organized in these venues. Mundy said, “The Izmir Festival offers a wonderful combination of ancient architecture and music of more recent times. More importantly, it always demonstrates the continuity of culture on the Aegean coast – empires, kingdoms and politicians come and go, but civilization recovers and art never diminishes.”

At the end of his well-received and appreciated article, Mundy made the following assessment: “… The International Izmir Festival, a festival with great prestige and high artistic standards, is held in Izmir on the Aegean Coast, located right in the middle of Turkey’s various historical sites and popular tourist resorts. Featuring a wide range of classical, traditional and contemporary works with both international and national performances in music, ballet, theatre and opera, the International Izmir Festival has proven to be one of Turkey’s cultural and intellectual cornerstones as a festival that attracts great interest from local people and foreigners visiting Turkey. Since its inception, the Festival has made a special effort to incorporate the ancient city of Ephesus, one of the best-preserved ancient cities in the world, and other heritage sites of Izmir into its venues. Ephesus, where performances are staged at the Festival, is listed as a UNESCO cultural heritage site.”