Introduction
Mediterranean Contemporary Music Days
For the past five years, one of highlights of the cultural calendar in Istanbul has been the annual music festival known as Mediterranean Contemporary Music Days. This week-long festival, held usually in December or January of each year, was the brainchild of Borusan Culture and Arts, who is also the primary sponsor and organizer of this highly-anticipated and celebrated event. Its purpose is to bring together some of the most celebrated and innovative contemporary musicians and composers of the Mediterranean region, such as Turkey, France, Greece, Italy and Spain, thus establishing stronger communication between the writers of music and their interpreters and providing an international platform to feature their highly creative work.
In the short time since its inception, Mediterranean Contemporary Music Days has grown dramatically and developed a strong following both in Turkey and abroad, as well as brought renewed prestige and acclaim to Istanbul as a world cultural center. The collaboration between the Mediterranean countries which is fostered during the festival continues throughout the year on various levels. This valuable exchange of musical ideas and pieces has put Turkey under the contemporary music spotlight of the world.
The 5th annual Mediterranean Contemporary Music Days, which took place from January 19-26, 2008 in Istanbul, consisted of conferences and concerts featuring the music of a different country each day, namely Turkey, Azerbaijan, France, Greece, Italy, Spain and Sweden. In 2006, special guests included musicians from Albania and Croatia. The inclusion of Sweden, a northern European nation, in recent years is an example of the widespread interest and influence generated by the Mediterranean Contemporary Music Days, all the more exceptional because of the relatively brief history of this event.
While Borusan Culture and Arts is the chief architect and organizer of Mediterranean Contemporary Music Days, the event is a magnificent collaboration between Borusan and the consulates and cultural agencies of the various countries involved, including the Institut Francaise d’ Istanbul, Spain’s Instituto Cervantes Estanbul, the Instituto Italiano di Cultura di Istanbul and the Sweedish embassy of Istanbul.
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