Alla Turca — Aylin Elçi

Guest chef Lorenzo Castriota Skanderbeg conducts the Cumhurbaşkanlığı Senfoni Orkestrası (CSO) – Presidential Symphony Orchestra during rehearsals. Ankara, 15th of December 2014.

The violins lead by guest chef Lorenzo Castriota Skanderbeg during the CSO concert. Ankara, 18th of December 2014.

Cem a musician member of the CSO’s administrative team and fellow trumpeters perform during a weekly concert. Many of the CSO musicians have multiple jobs for financial reasons. Ankara, 18th of December 2014.

The CSO concert room. The orchestra is supposed to get a newer and better room to perform in. The new building has been in constructions for over a decade now due to budgetary issues. Ankara, 18th of December 2014.

Aylin, a bassist poses in front of her locker decorated with many posters of Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, during a break in rehearsals. Ankara, 18th of December 2014.

The CSO’s backstage. Cases of cellos lie on coffee tables. Photos on the wall above them are that of previous performances with renowned musicians such as Yehudi Menuhin. Today, less well-known musicians collaborate with the orchestra. Ankara, 15th of December 2014.

Guest chef Lorenzo Castriota Skanderbeg conducts the CSO during rehearsals. Ankara, 15th of December 2014.

As the Ottoman Empire was crumbling and desperate for westernization, it founded the present Presidential Symphony Orchestra (CSO) – Cumhurbaşkanlığı Senfoni Orkestrası – in 1826.

Today, growing political pressures on cultural institutions have caused many state operas and theatres to close but the CSO remains a symbol of a secular and modern Turkey.

These images not only document the orchestra but also illustrate the development of a country’s cultural entity and the identity of its members.

Book and introduction text available here.

(2015)