State Polyphonic Choir was founded under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism with the initiative of Dr. Hikmek Simsek in 1988 and since then it has been one of the most prominent institutions of Turkey. Having performed its very first concert under the conductorship of Ahmet Adnan Saygun in 1989, the choir worked for many years with the distinguished German conductor Walter Strauss, who has made great contributions to Turkish musical life and endeared choral music to Turkish people.
The choir has also performed many concerts under the conductorship of Bujor Hoinic, İnci Ozdil, Ahter Destan, Alessandro Cedrone and Ibrahim Yazıcı.
Cemi’i Can Deliorman has been the present conductor of the magic notes since 2010-2011 season.
The choir has not only presented a musical feast but also opened the doors of a new world to its audience with more than 800 performances at home and abroad. State Polyphonic Choir enables music and history to embrace in places such as Aspendos, Ephesus, Pergamon and Side; and it carries this feast to every corner of Turkey.
Besides a capella concerts, the choir performs concerts with all the symphonic orchestras in Turkey presenting premiere performances to the Turkish audience.
An artist is aware of the fact that the audience does not have any specific religion, language or race. State Polyphonic Choir, called as “Voice from Heaven” by the music authorities in Germany and Italy, has been struggling to use its power for change. It could be considered a proof of this effort that the choir, going on tours and performing concerts in various countries, from Vatican to Israel, Russia and South Korea, with distinguished orchestras and conductors from the three continents, is deemed worthy of the title of “one of the best choirs of the world”.
Having been awarded the best choral/vocal ensemble by Andante Music Awards in 2010, State Polyphonic Choir has more than 1000 pieces in its repertoire although it is a 23-year-old young institution.
While recording the albums Kurtulus Soundtrack, Nazım Orotorio by F. Say, Carmina Burana by C.Orff, Requem by Mozart, polyphonic folk songs by A. Saygun and Muammer Sun, the sole purpose of the choir was to reach more music lovers.
All branches of art and each and every artist has responsibilities to undertake, which reflects the real power of art. The performance of “Stop Violence Against Women” campaign, to which well-known artists and institutions of Turkey contributed with the initiative of the choir, is a product of this consciousness.
One of the major functions of polyphonic music is to touch the hearts of children. With this purpose in mind, the choir meets thousands of children in educational concerts every season and familiarizes them with polyphonic music culture.
Sometimes a spectacular hall in a distant place of the world, a school or even a shopping mall revives in the universe with the synergy of these 68 chorists.
