Gokmen

The Presidential Symphony Orchestra has given a concert at the 2,200-year-old historic theater in the Aegean province of Denizli's ancient city of Laodicea.

More than 15,000 people attended the concert at the ancient theater on June 23, hosted by the provincial governor's office and the municipality.

Veteran musician and conductor Professor Rengim Gökmen says that music is an art that soothes harsh and violent feelings of human beings and penetrates into their souls. 

The Ankara Music Festival, organized by the Sevda-Cenap and (SCA) Music Foundation, will turn 35 this year on April 4, with a concert by the Presidential Symphonic Orchestra (CSO) under the baton of Rengim Gökmen at the CSO Hall. 

An Istanbul court on Nov. 8 ordered the release of daily Sözcü reporter Gökmen Ulu during the trial in which he is being tried on terror charges.

Turkish critical daily Sözcü has published a "May 19 Press Freedom Special Edition," left blank to protest the detentions of some staff members. 

The May 19 edition of the daily carried empty columns with writers' names and also left the weather section blank.

It was a response to the May 18 detentions of Mediha Olgun, the editor of Sözcü's website, and reporter Gökmen Ulu.

Awarded every year since 2012 by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) to promising young Turkish classical musicians, the Aydın Gün Encouragement Award has been granted to 21-year-old marimbist Elman Mecid on its fifth year.

Turkish pianist İdil Biret's 75th birthday will be celebrated at a concert by the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra on Dec. 3 in Ankara.

At the concert, to be conducted by Rengim Gökmen, Biret will play Rachmaninov's "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op.43."

The Presidential Symphony Orchestra (CSO), one of the standard bearers of Turkish music, will celebrate its 190th anniversary with a special concert.

The 15th International Music Festival, organized in the southern province of Mersin, will bring together stars from Turkey and abroad in the city's historic places between May 2 and 28. 

The festival program was launched at a ceremony on April 6. 

The annual Ayd?n Gün Encouragement Award has been presented every year since 2012 by the Istanbul Foundation of Culture and Arts (?KSV) to promising young musicians in the field of classical music to help support their development. This year the award was given to 24-year-old violin virtuoso Emre Engin.