― 6 июля 2024 г.

The “13th International Silkroad Music Festival of Sheki" has begun

The “13th International Silkroad Music Festival of Sheki"  organised in cooperation of TURKSOY with the Composers' Alliance of Azerbaijan  and the  Governorate of Sheki started with two concerts.

Since its very beginning, the festival organised with the contribution of TURKSOY took place with the participation of artists and ensembles from Kazakhstan and Türkiye amongst others.

The first concert of the festival was held in the Upper Caravanserai, one of the historical places of Sheki city and featured a performance  of  Aydar Salahov, an artist from Tatarstan which was strongly  appreciated by particiants of the festival as well as by the audience of Azerbaijani art lovers.

The second concert of the festival took place after the opening ceremony in the "Marhal" Amphitheatre. The opening speeches of the festival were delivered by the Governor of Sheki Mr. Elkhan Usubov, the President of the Alliance of Composers of Azerbaijan Mrs. Firengiz Alizade and the Country Representative of Azerbaijan to TURKSOY Mr. Elchin Gafarli.

In his speech, the Governor of Sheki Mr. Elkhan Usubov emphasised the important contribution of the festival, which is being held for the 13th time this year, to the cultural life of Sheki, a city with 2700 years of history.

The President of the Alliance of Composers of Azerbaijan Mrs. Firengiz Alizade noted that the festival, which was suspended for 2 years only during the pandemic, has achieved many successes and brought together art ensembles from 36 different countries with Azerbaijani art lovers in a short period of time.

Conveying the greetings of TURKSOY Secretary General Sultan Raev in his speech, the Representative of Azerbaijan to TURKSOY Mr. Elçin Gafarlı stressed that the festival which  has turned into a meeting point for artists and intellectuals of the Turkic World has also become an important venue for kindred peoples to introduce and perform their own musical arts.

The opening speeches were followed by colourful performances of the  Indonesian dance ensemble "Mila Art"  and the "Hamdani" music ensemble featuring vibrant costumes, accessories and masks along with authentic music instruments which were strongly appreciated and received  standing ovations from the audience.

The second day of the festival will continue with  concerts featuring artists of  music schools of Sheki and performances of “Bhangra”, a dance ensemble from India.