27th Aydın Doğan Award to the Antakya Civilizations Choir

Since 1996, the Aydın Doğan Foundation has presented the Aydın Doğan Award annually to individuals or institutions whose work has earned acclaim on national and international platforms across fields such as culture, arts, literature, and science. This year, the award has been granted to the Antakya Civilizations Choir, which has delivered messages of peace from Hatay to audiences around the globe and, through more than 1,500 concerts in Türkiye and abroad, has reminded the world that music is a universal language

In a statement issued by the Aydın Doğan Foundation, it was noted:

“Since 2008, the Antakya Civilizations Choir has successfully introduced to the world the centuries-old cultural richness of Hatay—one of Türkiye’s ancient cities—and its tradition of tolerance among civilizations. Through more than 1,500 performances at home and abroad, the choir has conveyed messages of peace from Hatay to the world and reminded audiences that music is a universal language. After losing seven of its artists in the devastating earthquake of 6 February, which deeply affected our country and forced the choir to pause its activities, a strong spirit of solidarity helped bring the ensemble together once again. As an institution that greatly values and consistently supports art and artists, we have decided—by resolution of our Board of Directors—to present this year’s Aydın Doğan Award to the Antakya Civilizations Choir, both in recognition of its achievements to date and in the hope that it will serve as an inspiration to young people.”

The award ceremony will take place in December in Istanbul.

The Choir Works to Heal the Wounds of the Earthquake

Seven members of the Antakya Civilizations Choir lost their lives in the 6 February earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş. The remaining members of the 200-person choir were also affected by the disaster and began living in different cities across Türkiye, where communities opened their doors to earthquake survivors.

Today, the choir’s conductor Yılmaz Özfırat and technical coordinator Bedirhan Gök are working to bring the Antakya Civilizations Choir back together. Their goal is to once again share Türkiye’s rich civilizational heritage with the world and to keep alive, through music, the memory of the seven artists who lost their lives in the earthquake.

Antakya Civilizations Choir

The Antakya Civilizations Choir was founded in Hatay in 2008. The ensemble consists of **200 members—100 women and 100 men—representing three Abrahamic religions (Muslim, Christian, and Jewish) and six different traditions (Alevi, Sunni, Orthodox, Catholic, Jewish, and Armenian). The choir’s members come from a wide range of professions and social backgrounds, including imams, priests, teachers, lawyers, tradespeople, engineers, doctors, students, and homemakers. Conducted by Yılmaz Özfırat, the choir was established with the mission of conveying messages of peace, tolerance, brotherhood, and love. Its members perform one another’s hymns and folk songs with sincerity and mutual respect. Presenting melodies rooted in the cultural heritage of these lands in their most authentic form, the choir reflects the richness of Türkiye’s civilizational mosaic through the hymns, folk songs, and traditional melodies of different cultures.

To date, the Antakya Civilizations Choir has performed more than 1,500 concerts across various platforms, countries, and cities. The choir has also strengthened its international visibility by performing for members of the United Nations Security Council in New York, Members of the European Parliament at the European Parliament building in Brussels, and EU mission representatives at Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul.

The Antakya Civilizations Choir has received numerous awards and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012.