Aydın Doğan Foundation's concert and exhibition hall for the artists of the future

Aydın Doğan Foundation has granted the Aydın Doğan Fine Arts High School, one of the first Fine Arts High Schools to be granted ‘project school’ status, a special hall where students can stage their performances. 

With a capacity of 300 people, the Sema Doğan Concert and Exhibition Hall will allow students, as well as other artists, perform concerts and exhibit their works.

Aydın Doğan Foundation continues to invest in Aydın Doğan Fine Arts High School, which prepares its students for the future with its successful work in the fields of arts and education, aiming to make the school stand out as a distinctive educational institution in Türkiye.

Most recently, the Foundation provided Aydın Doğan Fine Arts High School with a concert and exhibition hall named after its Honorary Vice President Sema Doğan. The opening ceremony of the concert and exhibition hall was attended by Istanbul Governor Davut Gül and his wife Gülden Gül, as well as many people from business and the art world. Students from Aydın Doğan Fine Arts High School performed a musical concert, accompanied on stage by conductor Cem Mansur and Erdal Erzincan, one of the leading baglama players of Turkish folk music.

Representing the school's strong vision, the Sema Doğan Concert and Exhibition Hall is intended to become a hub for music and art. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the concert and exhibition hall, one of the very few places where art and education meet, Aydın Doğan Foundation Honorary Vice President Sema Doğan emphasised the great importance of art for people and society and noted: ‘I am delighted that the Concert and Exhibition Hall of Aydın Doğan Fine Arts High School is named after me. My greatest wish is that this hall will inspire you, our dear students and valuable teachers, host concerts and exhibitions, and spread the healing power of art to this school.’

Sema Doğan added that the Aydın Doğan Foundation works to contribute to the development of Turkish art, and the Aydın Doğan Fine Arts High School has a unique position in this regard. ‘I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the Aydın Doğan Foundation and its team, especially my husband Aydın Doğan, the Principal and the administrative team of the Aydın Doğan Fine Arts High School, and to all those who contributed to the Sema Doğan Concert and Exhibition Hall. As the founder of our Republic, the Great Leader Atatürk, said: “A society without art has lost one of its lifelines.” While greeting our great ancestor, our chief teacher, with gratitude and respect, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all of you who attended our ceremony today. While greeting our chief teacher, our great Atatürk, with gratitude and respect, I would like to thank you for attending our ceremony. May our Concert and Exhibition Hall be auspicious and fortunate.’

Doors are open to art-lovers…

Designed by architect Nevzat Sayın and his team, the Sema Doğan Concert Hall was built to accommodate the practices, rehearsals and concerts of in-school music students as well as musicians from outside the school. The structure of the hall was placed below ground level to protect the limited garden area, creating an extraordinary space.

The stage in the hall was positioned on two different levels as orchestra area and choir balcony with a creative use of the space. The walls and ceiling were specially designed to provide the acoustically required corrugation.

The hall, which can accommodate approximately 300 people, is connected to the school building by a large corridor, which is intended to be used as a foyer area. This area also has the potential to be used as a gallery for the exhibitions of the school's painting and sculpture students.

The Sema Doğan Concert and Exhibition Hall, designed for the best performance of acoustic music and making art easily accessible to everyone, offers a unique experience not only to students but also to art lovers.

About Aydin Dogan Fine Arts High School

The school was renamed Aydın Doğan Fine Arts High School in 2015 with a protocol signed between the Governorship of Istanbul and the Aydın Doğan Foundation. The educational institution, which provides education in the fields of visual arts and music, is among the first Fine Arts High Schools to be granted a ‘Project School’ status. Successful students graduating from the school continue their education at distinguished institutions such as Istanbul Technical University, Marmara University, Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Yıldız Technical University, Franz Schubert Conservatoire, Budapest Metropolitan University, Universitiat Für Wien, and Ottawa College, in Canada. While 86 per cent of the students who graduated in the 2022-2023 academic year were placed in universities, 6 students earned the right to study at universities abroad.

Aydın Doğan Fine Arts High School, which continues its activities with the vision of ‘being the first school that comes to mind when it comes to Fine Arts High School’ in Türkiye, hosts concerts, exhibitions and social events, making significant contributions to the fields of culture and arts, as well as education.