View of the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque across the Bosphorous

After over twenty-four hours of travel, we’ve arrived safely at home and have been enjoying the sunny New Hampshire skies. The four days in Istanbul were a wonderful way to end our tour. I was reminded often of my first trip to Turkey with Apple Hill in 2006. I was so taken then with the city, I immediately picked up the book Constantinople by Edmondo di Amicis, and as we flew over Istanbul with the boats visible in the Bosphorous and the city coming into view, I was reminded of Amicis’ first view of Istanbul years ago:

At last came glimmering through the veil some whitish spots, then the vague outline of a great height, then the scattered and vivid glitter of window panes shining in the sun, and finally Galata and Pera in full light, a mountain of many colored houses, one above the other; a lofty city crowned with minarets, cupolas, and cypresses… a glow of colors, an exuberance of verdure, a perspective of lovely views, a grandeur, a delight, a grace to call forth the wildest exclamations.

Our present day view of the city is certainly very different, but Istanbul still carries with it the ability to captivate and fascinate.

Elise working with a student at Kocaeli University

The Turkish Cultural Affairs Specialist at the U.S. Embassy, Sevil Sezen, greeted us at the airport. Often throughout our time there, Sevil would recount past adventures with Apple Hill in Turkey, saying fondly: “We have so many stories!” Beste, one of the first Turkish Playing for Peace scholarship recipients, met us later that afternoon to rehearse the Mozart viola quintet we would be performing with her, and in the evening, we had our first stroll down the Istikhal, the pedestrian boulevard lined with all sorts of shops and restaurants, crowded with people at any time of day or night.

The next day, we took advantage of a free morning (a rare occurrence on this trip!) to pay a short visit to the Grand Bazaar. In the early afternoon, we traveled to an area just outside the city center, Kocaeli, and performed our school program for a fine arts college there. The students were all waiting expectantly for our arrival, and Sevil told us some of them couldn’t sleep the night before. After the program, we gave a master class and heard some talented string students.

Lenny, Beste, and the Quartet with representatives from the U.S. Embassy at the Kadikoy Anatolian High School

The next morning, we performed our school program at a high school in an area of Istanbul called Kadikoy. The school specializes in English and recruits students from all over Turkey. The students were very responsive to the program, and the volunteer from the audience, Imre, was so good that the audience cheered at several points during the piece. Later that day, we gave a short performance and class at the Istanbul University Conservatory, where Beste went to school and now teaches. We heard some really wonderful players and were pleased that one of them was a student of Beste. That evening, we gave a performance at the U.S. Consul General’s residence, where we played a short piece by Puccini, Dan Sedgwick’s Theme and Variations (which was very well received), the Mozart quintet with Beste, and a short encore.

Four generations of violists: Beste, her student at Istanbul University, Mike, and Lenny

The last day of our tour started with a short performance and master class at the wonderful Pera Fine Arts High School. Each student we heard was really talented, and after the initial jitters, it was wonderful to see each one of them open up and really enjoy the class. That afternoon, we performed a public concert with Beste in a unique venue, the Istanbul Modern, a museum of modern art in a recently renovated warehouse overlooking the Bosphorous. Along with the invited audience, people visiting the museum would also stop by and listen for a while.

At 3:30 the next morning, we all gathered in the lobby of our hotel for the long journey home. Many thanks to Sevil and the U.S. Consulate for all the events in Turkey! Since the very first days in Cyprus, the tour continued to be just so full, and I hope these updates have given you a glimpse of all that was experienced. Once again, I feel privileged to be a part of Apple Hill, and I am sure these days in the Middle East will contribute to another wonderful summer at Apple Hill as well as more connections and music-making in the future!

Wishing you all the best on behalf of all of us,
Sarah Kim