Azerbaijani composer’s works performed in Balkans

Baku, August 7, AZERTAC The tour of the Youth Chamber Orchestra of TURKSOY organized within the framework of the 25th anniversary of TURKSOY ended with a final concert in Zenitsa. The tour which started on July 23rd, 2018 featured six concerts in 3 countries with performances in Pristina, Prizren, Cetinje, Mostar, Sarajevo and Zenitsa. This year, the orchestra performing under Maestro Mustafa Mehmandarov from Azerbaijan featured young artists from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Turkmenistan. The repertoire of the orchestra which was established in 2010 in order to foster the mutual exchange of experience among young artists from Turkic speaking countries and introduce classical music of Turkic peoples to the world featured world classics as well as works by composers of the Turkic World. The Youth Chamber Orchestra of TURKSOY paid tribute to the memory of Khayyam Mirzazade. Upon announcement of the passing away of the famous composer from Azerbaijan Khayyam Mirzazade at its concert in Cetinje, the orchestra included Gara Garayev’s “Grief” into the program of its concert in Sarajevo. TURKSOY Secretary General Dusen Kasseinov who delivered as speech prior to the performance said: “‘’My distinguished friend Khayyam Mirzazade has strongly contributed to the enrichment of the music of the Turkic World. Besides his works which are a great legacy for all of us he has taught many students. His passing away is a great loss for us. We commemorate Khayyam Mirzazade and pay tribute to him.” The Secretary General of the International Organization of Turkic Culture TURKSOY Prof. Dusen Kasseinov said that the tour of the Youth Chamber Orchestra of TURKSOY gathers kindred peoples of the Balkans as well as people interested in Turkic culture and art and added: "We have once again witnessed the unifying power of music which transcends linguistic, religious and racial borders." Secretary General Kasseinov also said: “This year, TURKSOY is celebrating its 25th anniversary. So, this tour of our orchestra which started in Kosovo and went on in Montenegro followed by Sarajevo, Mostar and Zenitsa is dedicated to the 25th anniversary of TURKSOY. As a matter of fact, TURKSOY is an international organization of cultural cooperation which has been building bridges of friendship for 25 years and bringing cultures and peoples closer together through art as a universal language.’’