The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Cemal Reşit Rey (CRR) Concert Hall completed the 2024–2025 concert season with 84 concerts, 2.561 artists and 51 listeners. Supporting young musicians throughout the season and strengthening the participatory music culture with new projects such as the Listener School, CRR reached an average of 305 seats for the first time in its history. The season program was determined by the Artistic Advisory Board, which was formed for the first time; the concerts conducted by Nil Venditti, the permanent conductor of the CRR Symphony Orchestra, stood out with their dynamic interpretive power.
In the 2024–2025 season, CRR has become a meeting point where thousands of musicians will be heard, where young talents will take their first steps and where music will be kept alive as a social value. In the hall where a total of 84 concerts were held, 2.561 musicians breathed life into Istanbul’s cultural life with a wide variety of programs ranging from classical to jazz, traditional to experimental. Mirabassi & Zanchini Duo’s elegant jazz tones, Alex Skolnick Trio’s jazz-rock encounter, Lena Chamamyan and Cristina Branco’s voices extending from the Middle East to Portugal were just a few of the unique concerts that nourished this diversity. 51 listeners were hosted in the concerts. CRR, which started touching Istanbul’s musical life in 305 with a capacity of 1989 seats, saw its average seat occupancy rate reach 864 for the first time this season.
New Spaces for Young Artists and Audiences
CRR’s vision of supporting young musicians continued effectively this season. 363 young artists had the opportunity to meet with the audience in events ranging from foyer concerts to chamber music performances. 45 students had the opportunity to work one-on-one with virtuosos in the free “Master Class” masterclasses given by world-famous musicians. In addition, 250 people attended the “Listener Schools” launched this season to get to know and discover music more closely.
Rhythm of the Season with CRR Symphony Orchestra and Nil Venditti
In the 2024–2025 season, the CRR Symphony Orchestra has also become one of the supporting elements of the program. Nil Venditti, the orchestra’s permanent conductor, has presented an interpretive language that has brought dynamism to both the group and the audience in eight concerts throughout the season. The young conductor, who draws attention with his innovative repertoire choices, has brought an energetic power of expression to the orchestra.
A New Programming Era with the First-Established Advisory Board
The season program was planned by the CRR Art Advisory Board, which was formed for the first time this year. The board, consisting of experts in classical music, jazz, world music and traditional music, strengthened the content balance of the program with its interdisciplinary approach. The board included the following names: Ethnomusicologist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Evrim Hikmet Öğüt, cellist Assoc. Prof. Nil Kocamangil, composer and pianist Yiğit Özatalay, jazz musician Kâmil Özler and music consultant Can Kalaycıoğlu.
The members of the Art Advisory Board, who made evaluations about the season, shared their views on CRR’s programming process this year with the following words: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Evrim Hikmet Öğüt stated that although the inclusion of experts in the decision-making process was initially a matter of debate, the results revealed how accurate this practice was; she also emphasized that projects such as “Listener School” attracted great attention, that the repertoire was enriched with diversity across genres, and that thanks to this, “good music” reached a wide audience. Assoc. Prof. Nil Kocamangil described this season, in which many world stars took the stage in Türkiye for the first time, as “perfect”, and drew attention to the importance of making quality music accessible to all segments of society at symbolic ticket prices. Yiğit Özatalay evaluated the establishment of the board as “a product of IMM’s efforts to democratize arts management” and emphasized that the program presented in this season offered a fresh and original structure kneaded with collective labor. Kamil Özler stated that the board had achieved a successful season with the program it had put together with loving and meticulous work. Can Kalaycıoğlu attributed this season's record audience participation to the joint efforts of board members from different musical disciplines; he particularly stated that the strong support of the IMM administration was behind this process.
