The annual International Izmir Festival is set to open on June 13 and welcome some of the best known musicians from around the globe to the Aegean. This town located along the coast of Turkey is one of the most popular holiday destinations in the country and will see many famous musicians play through July 20th, with a special concert on October 18th given by La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra. The venues for the festival performances include the Adnan Saygan Art Center, Ephesus Odeon, Ephesus Celsius Library, Bergama Asklepion and Cesme Castle.
The 23 International Izmir Festival is organized by the Izmir Foundation for Culture and Arts and begins June 13th at 9:30 pm. The first performance will feature the famous Kodo Drummers of Japan, who are known across the globe for the traditional Japanese drum arts.
There are many other performers for this year’s festival, which runs all summer and is a wonderful draw to this beautiful Aegean town. The Izmir State Opera and Ballet will perform the opera Imeneo by Handel on June 18th at Ephesus Odeon. The German ensemble Resonanz will accompany violinist Barbara Bultman in the Celsius Library on June 23rd. Another famous violinist, Shlomo Mintz, will perform on June 27th with Moscow Soloists.
Other performers include the Marchigiani Philharmonic Orchestra, classical guitarist Giovanni Seneca, soprano Leontina Vaduva and pianist Alexandru Petrovici. The closing concert for the main festival will be on July 23rd in Cesme Castle, with the special La Scala Philharmonic concert on October 18th.
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