Yunus Emre Institute (YEI) USA Cultural Center held a concert program called 'For Your Love' at the American Jewish University of Los Angeles in order to promote Turkish culture in the USA through music on June 12, 2022.

Turkish, Arabic, Hebrew, and English works were performed in the concert program organized in cooperation with the Jewish Symphony Orchestra.

The program, in which the works of Sufi and Folk Poet Yunus Emre, “Gel Gör Beni Aşk Neyledi’’ and "Bana Seni Gerek Seni’’ were adapted for the symphony orchestra, was prepared in reference to the 2022 Grammy Music Award-winning composer Sharon Farber's piece "Ashkina".

NEYZEN ÖMER FARUK TEKBİLEK ALSO PERFORMED

In the concert, works in four languages were performed with Eastern and Western instruments, drawing attention to the cultural richness of Anatolia.

World-famous Turkish ney virtuoso Ömer Faruk Tekbilek performed at the concert, and a whirling dervish show was also performed.

The concert, which was organized to make a positive contribution to Turkish-American relations and to better introduce Turkish culture to American institutions and society, also aimed to strengthen the ties with Asian, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and African communities living in Los Angeles.

As part of the concert, a donation campaign was organized for Ukrainian children affected by the war in cooperation with UNICEF.

CONCERT REVENUES WILL BE DONATED TO CHILDREN VICTIMS OF THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

In his statement about the concert, Yunus Emre Institute President Prof.  Şeref Ateş said that it is significant to express the common cultural and human values of the peoples who immigrated from Anatolia to America through music.

Stating that the main goal is to reach those who immigrated from Anatolia to the USA, Prof. Ateş said, "Thus, we want to express Yunus's mentality of peace, love, brotherhood, and tolerance with this project, and we also want to carry this project to other countries."  

Pointing out that the project was developed within the scope of the 700th anniversary of the death of Yunus Emre, Prof. Ateş stated that they aimed to explain the peaceful coexistence of humanity through instruments.

Noting that the concert was successful, Prof. Ateş said, "The main purpose here is to donate the proceeds of the concert to the children who were victims of the Russia-Ukraine War with UNICEF. We can say that it was a very successful concert for this reason."