Skopje Summer Festival, one of the most prestigious festivals of Macedonia held for the 38^th time this year, opened with a concert organized by Skopje Yunus Emre Enstitüsü.

Skopje Summer Festival, that took start on Wednesday evening and to last for 40 days, opened with the performance of the world famous Turkish musician Ömer Faruk Tekbilek, who visited Macedonia upon  invitation of Skopje Yunus Emre Enstitüsü. The master artist who has won worldwide acclaim by synthesizing Eastern and Western music within folk and sufi melodies in his works and broke sales records with his albums, conquered the hearts of Macedonian people with instruments he played, especially reed flute.

Skopje Mayor Koce Trajanovski made the opening speech at the concert in the Macedonian Opera and Ballet Hall, thanking Skopje Yunus Emre Enstitüsü for organizing cultural and artistic activities in Macedonia and wished for the activities, which greatly contribute to strengthening the ties between the two countries, to continue increasingly. Trajanovski stated that hundreds of great artists from 19 countries participated in the Skopje Summer Festival and said "Skopje Summer Festival is of major importance for our city that aspires to become the culture-art centre of the Balkans. Yunus Emre Enstitüsü is opening the festival. It is a big chance for us to open with a performance by a world famous artist as Ömer Faruk Tekbilek. "

"The artist who has contributed the most to this language"

Skopje Yunus Emre Enstitüsü Director Fuat Korkmaz stated that they experienced two great joys and spoke as follows: "It is a great pleasure for us to be a part of this major organization as Yunus Emre Enstitüsü. What makes us happier is to have invited Ömer Faruk Tekbilek, a world-renowned figure on this occasion, and bring you together with our prized artist." Fuat Korkmaz said, "Music is one of the finest means of expressing the most humane feelings as happiness, sadness, longing, love in a universal language. That is why music is the most beautiful language people share to communicate with each other, and to express their sadness, joy, sorrow, happiness. Ömer Faruk Tekbilek is one of the artists who has greatly contributed to this language not only in Turkey but in the whole world. "

Fascinated with his Reed Flute

Ömer Faruk Tekbilek, known as a Sufi and reflects the influences of Mevlevi culture in his art, performed songs from his new album and excellent tunes of Turkish Sufi music for art lovers, playing baglama, reed flute, dumb pipe and zurna.

Ömer Faruk Tekbilek, who moved the audience at times, was accompanied by Aleksandro Gwis on the keyboard, Bahadır Şener on qanun, Federico Ferandina on guitar, Ratko Dautoski on percussion and Vagelis Karipis on drums.

The Macedonian art lovers who filled Macedonia Opera and Ballet Hall, the largest concert hall of Skopje, expressed their gratitude at the end of the concert with a standing ovation for Tekbilek and his band.

Tekbilek, expressed his and his band's gratitude, and said that he received great energy from the audience in the hall and would like to visit Macedonia again from thousands of kilometres away. Tekbilek also thanked Yunus Emre Enstitüsü who conduced to the formation of this scenery.

The first address Skopje Yunus Emre Enstitüsü

Dozens of activities will be organized such as popular music, classical music, ballet, theatre and cinema screenings at Skopje Summer Festival to last for 40 days and 40 nights. Skopje Yunus Emre Enstitüsü which plays an important role in promoting Turkey, Turkish language, culture and art by participating in summer festival and similar events in the country, is the first address sought by local administrators who aim to make Skopje the culture and arts centre of the Balkans.

For video of the article:  https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=NbTmtFPew5g