27th Aydın Doğan Award Presented to the Antakya Choir of Civilisations

The 27th Aydın Doğan Award is presented to the Antakya Choir of Civilizations which reminded us that music is a universal language and introduced to the world the centuries-old history of Hatay and Antakya, cultural richness and tolerance among civilisations through more than 2,000 concerts they performed in Türkiye and abroad.  

In the evening of December 6, an awards ceremony was held at the Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus for the Antakya Civilisations Choir, the winner of the 27th Aydın Doğan Award, which has been presented annually since 1996 by the Aydın Doğan Foundation to honour individuals or institutions that have received national and international recognition in various fields such as culture, arts, literature, and science. The 27th Aydın Doğan Award was presented to Conductor Yılmaz Özfırat on behalf of the Antakya Choir of Civilisations by Istanbul Governor Davut Gül and Aydın Doğan Foundation Honourary Vice President Sema Doğan.

Speaking at the ceremony, Arzuhan Doğan Yalçındağ, Chairperson of the Aydın Doğan Foundation Board of Directors, said: ‘The Aydın Doğan Award is an expression of our appreciation and gratitude to individuals and institutions in our country who have made a difference in social life with their work in the fields of science, culture, and the arts, and who have left indelible marks behind them. This award is guided by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's founding philosophy, which emphasises that culture and the arts, as well as science, play a major role in human and social development and the progress of a country. In the 100th centenary of our Republic, which we celebrate with pride, we understand this better, and we continue to contribute to our society with our activities centred on education, arts, culture and science for a brighter future and a happier society. As the Aydın Doğan Foundation, one of our main objectives in presenting this award is to set an example, motivate, and encourage young people who we believe will build the bright future of our country through the achievements of valuable individuals and institutions... We are excited and happy to be presenting the Aydın Doğan Award to such an institution again this year, the Antakya Choir of Civilisations. The Antakya Choir of Civilisations is an initiative that has managed with great skill to meet its listeners with shared emotions, and to make people, wherever they are in the world, share the pain and happiness, joy, and sorrow. This choir represents the values that are rooted in our lands and beautiful melodies with all their simplicity. With the hymns and folk songs of different cultures they sing, they act as a mirror reflecting the civilisation of Türkiye. They express the feelings of the cultures of the three Abrahamic religions through music, a powerful tool of emotional life. On the 100th Centenary of our Republic, we are delighted to present the 27th Aydın Doğan Award to this great choir, which represents centuries-old values and civilisations. I sincerely congratulate the conductor and all the members of the choir for bringing us the music of life and wish them to continue to make the voice of our civilisations heard around the world.’

Names from the world of business, art, politics and media such as Davut Gül, Governor of Istanbul and his wife Gülden Gül, Berna Yılmaz, Altan Öymen, Cavit Kavak, Namık Kemal Zeybek, Füsun-Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, Ümit-Cem Boyner, Ayşen-Hüsnü Özyeğin, Ali Sabancı, Hayırlı Sabancı, Emine Özilhan, Alev-Halis Komili, Ömer Aras, Yasemin-Sedat Aloğlu, and Ayşe İnci-Erol Bilecik attended the event.

Following the award ceremony, the Antakya Choir of Civilisations performed a mini concert and sang songs in memory of their friends lost in the earthquakes. In his speech, Yılmaz Özfırat, the conductor of the choir, expressed his deep gratitude and pride at receiving the Aydın Doğan Award.

Antakya Choir of Civilizations

The Antakya Choir of Civilisations was founded in Hatay in 2008. It is comprised of 200 members, 100 women and 100 men, members of 3 Abrahamic religions and 6 different civilisations.

Among the members of the association, there are people from various professions and social groups such as imams, priests, teachers, lawyers, traders, engineers, doctors, students and homemakers.

Conducted by Yılmaz Özfırat, the choir was founded to spread messages of peace, tolerance, brotherhood, and love. The members of the choir sing each other's hymns and folk songs with a sense of sincerity. The choir, which presents the values rooted in our lands and beautiful melodies with all their simplicity, acts as a mirror reflecting Turkiye's richness of civilisations through the hymns and folk songs of different cultures they sing.

The Antakya Choir of Civilisations has performed over 2,000 concerts across different venues, in different countries and cities. It has increased its visibility on the international scene by performing concerts for the Members of the UN Security Council in New York, Members of Parliament at the European Parliament Building in Brussels, and EU Mission Members at the Dolmabahçe Palace.

The Antakya Choir of Civilisations has received many awards and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012.