{"id":21808,"date":"2021-07-13T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-13T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/?p=21808"},"modified":"2022-07-23T16:13:49","modified_gmt":"2022-07-23T13:13:49","slug":"istanbul-stage-of-street-artists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/istanbul-stage-of-street-artists\/","title":{"rendered":"A unique stage for both artists and spectators: The streets of Istanbul"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Streets making artists meet<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Man<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Istanbul could be considered a stage featuring street artists from around the world, with performances in neighborhoods ranging from Kad\u0131k\u00f6y to Karak\u00f6y, from \u0130stiklal Caddesi to Galata or Bak\u0131rk\u00f6y …<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the quality and artistic content of street music varies, the tradition is long-established, hearkening back to village centers, urban plazas and medieval fairs. Street music removes the barriers between audience and artist, offering a unique dialogue between performer and spectator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We trace the footsteps of street musicians to Taksim Square, the heart of Istanbul, and along \u0130stikl\u00e2l Street, the heart of Taksim. The sound of the baglama, which wafted in the air at the metro exit, is followed by a folk song or several on the way to the Galata Tower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Who are they?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Street<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Some are established musicians. Some are performing as a hobby. Some street performers do it for fun; others strive to make a living via donations and contributions. The common denominator is a desire to perform, to entertain and to bring a diverse crowd of people together with art. For street musicians in Istanbul, there\u2019s the added appeal of performing on historical streets that have long witnessed similar activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some performers are more fortunate than others, in terms of attracting an income and an audience. Sometimes, performers are scooped up by directors, such as Siya Siyabend, who appeared in Fatih Ak\u0131n’s \u201cCrossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The street is the great equalizer<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"People<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When you are in the moment of the music, do you think about the socio-cultural or socio-economic class of the person beside you? The streets \u2013 the ultimate common area and mingling ground \u2013push all to come together with the music, or even participate in it! Wherever you are from, be it T\u00fcrkiye, Russia, Saudi Arabia or anywhere else, street performers embrace the entire audience under the umbrella of the music. Language ceases to matter as the instruments speak for themselves. When a song familiar across cultures is played, a diverse audience unites in joy and recognition.  Istanbul is a city where this magic manifests most beautifully!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The stage experience is different!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Man<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illuminated by the lights of shops and the street, performers are anointed with the dust of hundreds of pedestrians. There is no set program: everything flows in its own rhythm.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Taksim, as you wander along \u0130stikl\u00e2l to Galata, the range of musicians and music   is evident. Murat, a 22-year old clarinetist, and Uncle Remzi, playing a 50-year-old kamancha, are both in Taksim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes spectators request certain songs and accompany the musician. This is why you\u2019ll hear Murat performing Sezen Aksu’s song “\u0130stanbul \u0130stanbul Olal\u0131” multiple times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the baglama from the metro catches up with us again, just ahead of Galatasaray High School. And then, you spot a Bolivian folk band! Don\u2019t be surprised:  you are in Istanbul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take your place in this city, this city with an enormous heart that embraces all cultures. At least, as a listener. And if you can\u2019t contribute money, contribute your applause \u2013 the street musicians are working hard to keep us all entertained!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Stories knock at your door!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can easily download images, and share on your social media accounts via your smartphone. Just press and hold the story, and save or share the image you have selected via the menu that appears.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Streets making artists meet Istanbul could be considered a stage featuring street artists from around the world, with performances in neighborhoods ranging from Kad\u0131k\u00f6y to Karak\u00f6y, from \u0130stiklal Caddesi to Galata or Bak\u0131rk\u00f6y … While the quality and artistic content of street music varies, the tradition is long-established, hearkening back to village centers, urban plazas […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":25744,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[239,325,243,147,240],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-21808","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-city-vacation","8":"category-art-holiday","9":"category-istanbul-travel-guide","10":"category-trip-ideas","11":"category-turkey"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21808"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21808\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25744"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}