The “23rd Jazz Poster Competition” organized by the Izmir Culture, Art and Education Foundation (İKSEV) has concluded. The work of Gizem Savaş, a graduate of Izmir University of Economics Graphic Design Department, was selected as the poster for the 33rd Izmir European Jazz Festival.
The selection committee, consisting of Prof. Dr. Hakan Ertep, Cihangir Elmaskaya, Maksude Kılıç, Kutsal Lenger, Hüseyin Ekinciler, Okan Özgen and Ayşe Tatari, also decided to exhibit the works of 15 students aged between 8 and 13 attending Narlıdere Science and Art Center.
552 posters from almost every part of Turkey participated in the 23rd Jazz Poster competition. 22 of these posters were disqualified for not complying with the specification rules. The Selection Committee also found 14 posters worthy of exhibition.
Those Whose Posters Were Found Worthy of Exhibition: (No particular order) Serhat Mutlu, Mahir Akkoyun, Maya Bora, Enes Dinçel, Ela Naz İmrak, Gizem Uzunali, Betül Üner, Şule Toktaş Aslan, Başak Şahin, Duygu Ayvalı (2 posters), Şeyda Türkbay Özdemir, Emirhan İvecan, Ayseli Ezgi Emer
JAZZ THROUGH THE EYES OF CHILDREN
Hasan Emir Zenginobuz and Selim Eren Zenginobuz, Asya Çelik, Doğa Dura, Duru Aydın, Yusuf Kağan Çakıcı, Can Bahıt, Yaman Yılmaz, Tutku Alparslan, Yiğit Can Aydın, Mihrimay Baysın, Berrak Talya Ülcay, Defne Karakuş, Defne Horasan, Ayaz Afşar, Milda Bal
A two-day sharpening workshop will also take place at the 6th International Violin Making Workshop and Exhibition, organized in collaboration between İzmir Culture Art Education Foundation (İKSEV) and Dokuz Eylül University from February 3-7, 2025. Wolfgang Hess, master craftsman from the Swiss Tormek Factory, will conduct a workshop on February 4 and 5 on sharpening tools such as knives and chisels, which are extremely important for instrument makers. Participation in the sessions, which will be held on February 4, 2025 from 1:30 PM to 5:30 PM and February 5, 2025 from 1:30 PM to 6:00 PM, will be free of charge. This organization, which began in 2015 and is Turkey’s longest-running instrument making event in its field, continues to grow with the goal of contributing to bringing instrument making up to international standards and making İzmir a center in this field.
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.”
