The song they sang for the children from Northern Cyprus who lost their lives in the earthquake brought sorrow to hundreds of listeners.
Hundreds of listeners accompanied the song with the lights of their mobile phones, once again feeling the pain of the devastating earthquake disasters that deeply shook the country.
The Antakya Civilization Choir, which lost 7 members in the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş on February 6th, deeply affecting Turkey, brought emotional moments to the hundreds of people who watched their concert. They sang the song “Mağusa Limanı” for the majority of 35 people, mostly aged 12-14, who came from Northern Cyprus to Adıyaman for a volleyball tournament and lost their lives under the rubble of the hotel they were staying in.
“Our Voice Was Heard by Büyükçekmece”
As part of the 24th International Istanbul Büyükçekmece Culture and Art Festival, the Antakya Civilization Choir performed a concert at the Büyükçekmece Atatürk Cultural Center, providing a heartfelt evening to the hundreds of listeners who filled the hall. During the concert titled “You Heard Our Voice,” dedicated to supporting the earthquake victims in Hatay and the Büyükçekmece community, the pains of the earthquake were relived once again.
Under the direction of Conductor Yılmaz Özfırat, the Antakya Civilization Choir’s concert attracted significant attention from the Büyükçekmece locals. The song titled “Mağusa Limanı,” dedicated to the young athletes who lost their lives during the earthquake when the hotel they were staying in collapsed, brought a sense of sorrow to the concert hall. The song was dedicated to the young athletes who had come from Northern Cyprus to Adıyaman for a volleyball tournament. During the song, hundreds of audience members accompanied the choir’s performance with the lights of their mobile phones, creating emotional moments. In the finale of the night, the choir also paid tribute to their 7 friends they lost in the earthquake. The audience in the concert hall gave a standing ovation to the Antakya Civilization Choir for an extended period of time.
“There was sorrow, there was art, there was a lesson in humanity, there were tears.”
Antakya Medeniyetler Korosu Şefi Yılmaz Özfırat ve koro üyelerinin tek tek kutlayan Büyükçekmece Belediye Başkanı Dr. Hasan Akgün şöyle konuştu: “Bu akşam burada Sevgili Yılmaz Hocamın önderliğinde, onun şefliğinde, onun kurduğu Antakya Medeniyetler Korosu festivalin özel gecesini yaptı. Özel bir açılış oldu. Muhteşem bir geceydi. Bu akşam Yılmaz Hocanın ve Medeniyetler Korosu’nun bize yaşattığı bir eğlenceden daha ziyade insan olmanın farkına varma, sevginin, ıstırabın, yokluğun, sevinçlerin, üzüntülerin paylaşıldığı zaman nelerin olduğunu bize hissettirdi. Hem insanlık dersi vardı bu akşam burada, hem müzik vardı, hem sanat vardı, hem dram vardı hem de gözyaşı vardı. “
“En acı şey de unutulmak.’’
Büyükçekmece Mayor Dr. Hasan Akgün, individually congratulating Yılmaz Özfırat, the Conductor of the Antakya Civilization Choir, and the choir members, spoke as follows during the festival’s special night: “Tonight, here, under the leadership of our dear Yılmaz Hoca, under his conductorship, with the Antakya Civilization Choir that he founded, we had the special night of the festival. It was a unique opening. It was a magnificent night. This evening, more than an entertainment that Yılmaz Hoca and the Civilization Choir provided us, it made us realize what it means to be human, what is shared when it comes to love, suffering, absence, joy, and sorrows. Tonight, there was a lesson in humanity, there was music, there was art, there was sorrow, and there were tears.”
