Moments of İstanbul
June 14, 2025 | 7:30 PM | Neidorff-Karpati Hall, Manhattan School of Music
The Turkish American Orchestra returns to New York City with Moments of Istanbul, an experience that captures the vibrant contrasts of the city.
Led by Music Director Nisan Ak, the evening features a series of U.S. and world premieres, including works by Hasan Niyazi Tura, Oğuzhan Balcı, Şafak Alicioğlu, and Utar Artun. From newly commissioned orchestral suites to reimagined classics by Barış Manço, MFÖ, Cem Karaca, Sezen Aksu, and Neveser Kökdeş, the program captures the spirit of a city where tradition, nostalgia, and modern life converge.
Just as Istanbul embraces every walk of life, this program weaves together every color of the city's musical palette, blending classical, pop, Ottoman, and contemporary sounds into one unforgettable evening.
Program Highlights
Oğuzhan Balcı — Sultaniyegah Sirto & Nihavend Longa (U.S. premiere)
Şafak Alıcıoğlu — Neveser Kökdeş Fantasy (Commissioned by TAO, World Premiere)
Utar Artun — Elegie (U.S. premiere)
Utar Artun — Kanto Medley (Commissioned by TAO, World Premiere)
Utar Artun — Orchestrations of Barış Manço, MFÖ, Cem Karaca, Sezen Aksu (U.S. premiere)
Hasan Niyazi Tura — Turkish Dances (U.S. premiere)
Two women standing together at the Turkish American Orchestra event, one with light skin and brown hair, wearing a lace black top, and the other with light skin and black hair, wearing a black top, in front of a backdrop with the event's name.
Two people sitting in an auditorium, smiling at the camera. The man is dressed in a black suit, and the woman has blonde hair and is wearing a leopard print scarf and a black top.
A woman and a man standing together in front of a backdrop with the words 'Turkish American Orchestra' repeated, smiling for the camera.
Orchestra on stage with audience watching, wooden backdrop, various string and wind instruments, conductor in front.
A group of four people, two women, a man and a boy, posing together at an event for the Turkish American Orchestra. They are dressed in formal and semi-formal attire, and are standing in front of a backdrop with the event's name.
A large group of diverse people attending an indoor event, smiling and taking photos, with some waving or raising their hands, in a well-lit room with decorative walls and exit signs.
A woman in a brown dress with earrings and a man in a blue plaid shirt smiling and posing for a photo in front of a backdrop that reads 'Turkish American Orchestra' with the acronym 'TAO' repeated.
A large group of people gathered in an auditorium, many standing and some sitting, with some using their phones. The room has wood-paneled walls and a blue patterned carpet.
Group of six people smiling in front of a backdrop with 'Turkish American Orchestra' and 'TAO' written on it, at an indoor event.
Four smiling women standing together in front of a backdrop that says 'Turkish American Orchestra' and 'TAO.' They are dressed in semi-formal attire and appear to be at a social or professional event.
Six women standing together at a event, with a backdrop that reads 'Turkish American Orchestra'. Eight women are mostly smiling, five of them are wearing black outfits, and one has a musical instrument, a clarinet, in her hand. The background includes a white wall with text and a decorative gold partition to the right.
Two women standing close together at an event, smiling, with a backdrop featuring logos for the Turkish American Orchestra.
A woman with long curly brown hair, wearing earrings and a black fuzzy sweater, holding a flute and smiling at the camera.
Two women at an event standing in front of a backdrop that reads 'Turkish American Orchestra.' One woman holds a clarinet with the word 'love' written on it, and they are smiling and looking at each other.
Four women standing together and smiling in front of a backdrop with the words "Turkish American Orchestra."
Three young men dressed in black suits smiling and standing close together in front of a backdrop with the text 'Turkish American Orchestra' and 'TAO' printed repeatedly.
Two women wearing black dresses, smiling and laughing, standing in front of a backdrop that reads 'Turkish American Orchestra' and 'TAO'.
A man in a tuxedo with glasses smiling, accompanied by a woman who is also smiling, at a formal event.
Group of six people, including five women and one young boy, standing together at a Turkish American Orchestra event, in front of a backdrop with the text 'TÜRKİŞ AMERICAN ORCHESTRA' repeated.
A woman holding a flute, pointing towards the camera, at an event for the Turkish American Orchestra. She is smiling and wearing a black dress with earrings, standing in front of a white backdrop with black and red text.
Three men in suits standing together, smiling at a Turkish American Orchestra event with a backdrop displaying the organization's name.
A diverse group of people standing in a row, smiling and looking at their phones, at an indoor event or conference.
Three people posing in front of a backdrop with the words "TÜRKISH AMERICAN ORCHESTRA" and "TAO" printed repeatedly.
Two men in tuxedos standing in front of a backdrop with the words 'Turkish American Orchestra' repeated. The man on the left has gray hair and is wearing a black suit and shirt. The man on the right has dark hair, glasses, and is wearing a black tuxedo with a bow tie and a white dress shirt.
A group of six women standing together in front of a backdrop with the words 'Turkish American' visible. They are smiling and dressed in fashionable clothing.
Four people standing in front of a backdrop that reads "Turkish American Orchestra". The group includes two men and two women, all smiling and dressed casually.
Two women posing in front of a backdrop for the Turkish American Orchestra event. The woman on the left has curly hair, glasses, and is wearing a white blouse with a colorful floral blazer. The woman on the right has long brown hair, is smiling, and is wearing a beige scarf with animal prints and a white coat with a patterned blouse.
Group of seven people standing together at the Turkish American Orchestra event, smiling, with a white backdrop featuring the event's logo.
A woman standing in front of a backdrop with the words 'Turkish American Orchestra' printed on it. She is wearing a black, semi-transparent dress with a V-neckline and has her dark hair pulled back.
Four people smiling and posing for a photo in a conference or event hall with empty blue and white patterned chairs in the background.
An auditorium filled with standing and seated people, some taking photos, with a control booth in the background and exit signs visible.
Two women standing in front of a backdrop with the words 'Turkish American Orchestra' and 'TAO'. One woman has long curly hair and is holding a flute, the other woman has long straight hair and is wearing a black top with red lipstick. Both are smiling.
A woman with dark hair styled to the side, wearing a sleeveless black blazer and a gold necklace, smiling while holding multiple clarinet mouthpieces.
Portrait of a bald man with a beard wearing a black suit, white shirt, and black tie, smiling.
Group of four people standing in front of a backdrop with 'Turkish American Orchestra' and 'TAO' written. Two men in suits and two women smiling.
A woman with long brown hair wearing a black long-sleeve top and black pants standing in front of a white backdrop with the words "Turkish American Orchestra" and "TAO" repeated in black text.
Four women dressed in black, standing together at an event, with a white background featuring text that mentions 'Orchestra' and 'TAO.' One woman on the right is holding a clarinet.
Group of five women smiling at a formal event in front of a step and repeat banner with text 'Turkish American Orchestra.'
Three women standing close together, smiling for a photo, with a blurred background that appears to be an event or gathering.
Three people standing in front of a backdrop with the words 'Turkish American Orchestra' printed repeatedly. The individuals are smiling and dressed in casual to semi-formal attire, with two men flanking a woman in the middle.
Two women are facing each other and touching palms together, smiling. They are dressed in elegant black attire, and there is a white backdrop with the text 'Turkish American Orchestra' and 'TAO' in the background.
Two women hugging each other and smiling at the camera. One woman has dark hair and is wearing a black top, the other has red hair and is also wearing black.
A woman holding a clarinet standing next to a man, both smiling at a music event or gathering.
Two women smiling and standing close together at an event, with a blurred background showing part of a logo.
Two women smiling and standing close together at an event, with a backdrop featuring the text 'American' and 'TAO'.
A woman with shoulder-length, wavy blonde hair wearing a red spaghetti strap dress and jewelry, standing against a plain background.
A young woman with long, curly brown hair and brown eyes smiling at the camera, wearing a beige and white striped sweater.
Two women dressed in black suits holding flutes, standing in front of a step-and-repeat backdrop with the text 'Turkish American Orchestra' and 'Tao'.
A man and a woman standing together, smiling for the camera, in front of a backdrop with the words 'Turkish American Orchestra' repeated.
A young man with dark hair and light skin standing in front of a cream-colored backdrop with black text that reads "Turkish American Orchestra," "Tao," and other words, smiling slightly and wearing a green jacket over a plaid shirt.
Two women wearing black dresses, smiling, at the Turkish American organization event, with a blurred background featuring the organization's logo.
Three women standing together, smiling for a photo at an event, dressed in black clothing.
Four people, two men and two women, standing together and smiling at an event for the Turkish American Orchestra. The background has a white banner with the text 'TURKISH AMERICAN ORCHESTRA' and 'TAO' repeated multiple times.
Two women stand together smiling, making peace signs with their hands at an event for the Turkish American Orchestra, with a patterned black and white dress and a black outfit.
Two women dressed in black standing side by side, smiling at the camera, at an event with a white backdrop displaying the words "TAO", "TURKISH AMERICAN ORCHESTRA," and "TÜRK".
Four people standing together at a Turkish American Orchestra event, smiling, with a white backdrop displaying the event's name.
A woman with short curly red hair and a man with dark hair and glasses smiling at the camera, dressed in formal attire, standing in front of a backdrop with the text 'Turkish American Orchestra'.
A smiling woman with short curly red hair wearing a dark teal dress stands next to a man in a tuxedo with glasses, both at a formal event.
People in a large conference room engaging in conversations, with some sitting and others standing. The room has wooden paneling and patterned chairs.
Three women dressed in black holding flutes, standing in front of a backdrop with the words "British American T
A man with a beard and slicked-back hair wearing a dark suit, light purple shirt, and a purple patterned tie, smiling in front of a neutral background.
Group of six young adults standing in front of a backdrop that reads 'TAO Turkish American Orchestra.' They are dressed in casual and semi-formal attire, smiling at the camera.
Four women standing together, smiling, in front of a backdrop with the words "Turkish American Orchestra" partially visible.
A young boy with light brown hair and brown eyes wearing a white dress shirt and a black tie, smiling at the camera.
Two smiling people, a man and a woman, standing side by side in front of a white backdrop with black text reading 'Turkish American Orchestra.' The man is wearing a dark blue shirt with a light collared shirt underneath, and the woman is wearing a brown jacket, a white blouse, and a blue patterned scarf. They are outdoors or in a well-lit indoor space.
Two young men standing in front of a white backdrop with black and red text that reads 'Turkish American Orchestra' and 'TAO.' One man is wearing a plaid shirt, and the other is wearing a navy blue Columbia University t-shirt. They are smiling at the camera, each holding a water bottle.
Four women standing together at an event, smiling, with a backdrop that says 'Turkish-American' in the background.
Three women smiling at an event, standing in front of a white backdrop with text, dressed in black attire.
Three women in black dresses posing with flutes in front of a backdrop that reads 'Turkish American Orchestra' and 'TAO'. One woman on the left is making a peace sign and smiling, the woman in the middle has her mouth open in excitement, and the woman on the right is smiling and holding a flute.
A young man in a black suit and white shirt smiling at a formal event.
Four women standing together at an event with a backdrop that reads 'South American' and 'TAO'. They are smiling and dressed in smart casual to formal attire.
Two people standing together at the Turkish American Orchestra event, with a man in a gray shirt smiling and a woman in a red vest holding a program, both in front of a white background with the event's name partially visible.
Close-up of a young woman with long wavy brown hair, wearing a cream-colored top, smiling softly in front of a neutral background.
A woman and a man smiling at the camera, the woman holding a musical instrument, in front of a sign that reads 'RICH AMER CHELSEA'.
A family of three posing at an event, with a backdrop showing the words 'Turkish American Orchestra' and 'TAO.' The man is wearing glasses, a tuxedo with a bow tie, and has his arm around the woman, who is dressed in a black blouse. The boy is smiling, dressed in a white shirt with a black tie, standing in front of the adults.
Four people, one man and three women, standing together at an event with a backdrop displaying "Turkish American Orchestra." The man is dressed in a tuxedo with glasses, the first woman wears a black dress with earrings, the second woman is in a black strapless top with a skirt featuring a graphic pattern, and the third woman has a denim jacket, light-colored pants, and a backpack, smiling for the camera.