Antakya Civilizations Choir met the audience at Kültürpark with surprise artists in the concert organized as part of the “One Rent One Home” campaign launched by the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality for earthquake victims. President Soyer, who was invited to the stage by the choir conductor Yılmaz Özfirat, said, “No one living on this land will ever forget this pain until the end of his life. After that, half of all of us are missing,” he said.
The Antakya Civilizations Choir, which gave a solidarity concert to support the “One Rent One Home” campaign initiated by the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality for earthquake victims, gave the people of Izmir emotional moments. Concert at Kulturpark Open Air Theater Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tunç Soyer, Deputy Chairman Mustafa Özuslu and hundreds of İzmir residents listened. The choir sang songs in memory of its members Mehmet Özdemir, Gizem Dönmez, Hakan Samsunlu, Pınar Aksoy, Fatma Çevik, Müge Mimaroğlu and Ahmet Fehmi Ayaz, whom they lost in the earthquakes. The guest artist and Uğur Aslan, who lost many family members in Hatay, and İzmir Anatolian Women's Choir accompanied the choir. The choir, who paused the song 4 minutes and 17 seconds after the start of the concert, said, "Does anyone hear my voice?" he called.
After that half of us is missing
İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor, invited by the choir conductor Yılmaz Özfırat. Tunç Soyer Reminding that there was great pain due to the earthquake, he said, “Our mourning is great. No one living on this land will ever forget this pain for the rest of his life. After that, half of all of us are missing,” he said.
Izmir is running the most magnificent project in the history of Türkiye
Yılmaz Özfirat, who is the conductor of the choir, thanked the people of İzmir who came to the concert and contributed to the solidarity, and said, “The earthquake victims in the Antakya Civilizations Choir dispersed to different cities of Turkey. We are earthquake victims. More than 2 months have passed since the earthquake. We went to many different places in Turkey. I came to Izmir. In the earthquake victims I met in Izmir, I saw that the people of Izmir helped many people. I was pulled out of the rubble at the 8th hour of the earthquake. As someone who has stayed in the earthquake zone, I used to see the teams of the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality on my right and left when someone made a show and appeared on television. Tunç Soyer's rights are not paid. Tunc brother, I am glad to have you. I think İzmir is running the most magnificent project in the history of Turkey with Bir Rent Bir Yuva. Those supplies, those clothes, God bless you a thousand times. You are doing such a favor by coming to this concert today that you pay a family's rent for 3 months."
Thank you for your mercy
The artist Uğur Aslan, who started his words by saying "Brother Tunç", said, "The project you lead is very valuable. Thank you for the mercy you put in your power. We are going through a period where the definition of solidarity is being made. Life brought it to a point where the subject was now human, and nature vomited everything that was crammed into it. Once again, I realized that things exist to be used, the things that are loved are people, living things and nature. I beg you, please don't like things anymore," he said.
The choir heals the wounds of the earthquake with concerts
Those who could not attend the concert hosted by İzmir Metropolitan Municipality contributed to the solidarity with the unattended ticket option of 50 TL. The income of the concert was transferred to the One Rent One Home campaign.
Established in 2007 with artists from different religions and sects to build bridges between civilizations and contribute to the promotion of the ancient city of Hatay, the choir meets with art lovers at solidarity concerts to heal the wounds of cities destroyed in the earthquake. The choir was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012 and received the Ministry of Culture Special Award in 2019-2020.