In cooperation with allaturca, 3dots and fermente with the support of Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Bozcaada Jazz Festival’s special program called BCF Keşif is carrying out the energy and wind of this island.
Believing that the arts and culture should move on, Bozcaada Jazz Festival kept on practicing arts with great motivation all along August. This jam-packed program was constantly revised and consisted of online webinars in which arts and culture professionals, NGOs, independent art representatives as well as jazz musicians participated. Talks with islanders about the history, climate and gastronomy of the island were well-oriented and archive-like. Besides, Bozcaada Museum tour, which was to be included in the festival, is highly rich in content.
For those who really missed listening to music in festival atmosphere, Korhan Futacı and Bozcaada Ensemble were on festival’s Instagram, YouTube channels with their special performances. Musicians who took the stage in the previous years of the festival collaborated in an album called Bozcaada Caz Festivali 2020 ‘Keşif’ with their compositions inspired by Bozcaada. This exclusive album is already available on Spotify and Apple Music.
Special festival performances in Bozcaada
Acclaimed music writer, composer, saxophonist and producer Korhan Futacı was providing audience the spirit of island with his performance special to the festival. Futacı has been involved in many national and international performances with “Tamburada”, “Dandadadan”, “Korhan Futacı ve Kara Orkestra” and “Konstrukt” projects. A unique project with a common language of jazz with musicians changing year after year, Bozcaada Ensemble has its roots in the festival. Bozcaada Ensemble flashed memories of audiences passed in exceptional sunset of the island with their performance in Bozcaada Windmills.
Talks about island from arts to gastronomy
With its privileged location, not only in Turkey but also in the world, Bozcaada is famous for its culture, agriculture and gastronomy. BCF Keşif discovers the story behind this highly celebrated location with talks series. BCF Keşif welcomed Oya Terzioğlu and Saada Delen, founders of an important representative of the island gastronomy, Madam Niça. Maya Bozcaada joined this series with its founder, Selçuk Aykan. The oldest wine grower of the island, Haşim Yunatçı participated in the talks series together with Cansu Şimşek, an artist and sculptor working with things she picked from island. As the author of seven books about Bozcaada written up until now, journalist and academic, Professor Haluk Şahin joined the series. This program also covered the Bozcaada Museum tour together with its founder, M. Hakan Gürüney.
Discover the festival with online webinars
Keşif program included a variety of online webinars about jazz music, international jazz festivals, arts and culture, environmental sustainability, gastronomy, history, culture and agriculture of the island, endemic plants and accessibility. All of these different aspects were brought to audiences, by experts of their specialty.
Founders of Erişilebilir Her Şey, a social enterprise, Seben Ayşe Dayı and Serim Berke Yarar were the guests of the webinar called ”What is digital accessibility?”. Zuhal Focan, the founder of the Nardis Jazz Club and the Jazz Magazine, Sevin Okyay, cinema and music critic, Eren Noyan, the founder of The Badau and a culinary chef along with Önder Focan, an acclaimed jazz musician participated in a webinar namely “kültür.limited Presents: Jazz and …”. Emre Erbirer hosted this webinar in which he asks questions related to jazz. Another online webinar was hosted by Associate Professor Gökçe Dervişoğlu Okandan from Istanbul Bilgi University. As members of the Turkish National Commission for UNESCO, Özlem Ece Aydınlık who is also the director of the department of Cultural Policy Studies at IKSV and Merve Eryürük, Secretary General at Professional Association of Music Reviewer, participated in “Improvement and Diversity of Cultural Expressions”. “From Tenedos to Bozcaada” called audiences to discover the cultural and historical values of the region. This webinar hosted an important academic, Professor Rüstem Aslan, chair of Troy Excavations from Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Department of Archaeology. Founding partner of Açık Açık and Adım Adım iniatives, Associate Professor Itır Erhart moderated an online webinar named as “Is it possible to organize a sustainable festival?” with Dilara Koçak from United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization as well as Dorukhan Demirbilek from Festtogether. Webinar also welcomed Emrah Bilge from Çöpüne Sahip Çık Vakfı (Mind Your Waste Foundation), Nil Tibukoğlu from Temel İhtiyaç Derneği along with Gizem Gezenoğlu from Bozcaada Caz Festivali (Bozcaada Jazz Festival). “Collaboration Models in Culture Industries” was also moderated by Associate Professor Gökçe Dervişoğlu Okandan. In this webinar President of the Board of Theatre Cooperative, Iraz Yöntem and co-founder of Bozcaada Jazz Festival, Gizem Gezenoğlu participated. The talk series program also included Deniz Mahir Kartal addressing to his audience about “Being a multi instrumentalist” while Sarp Maden especially called for young musicians in his talk namely ”Discovering Sarp Maden’s Instruments”.
European Jazz Network meets online
Guests from European Jazz Network of which Bozcaada Jazz Festival is also a member came together to discuss collaboration models between different jazz festivals during the pandemic and future partnerships. This online webinar brought together representatives of some of the most important jazz festivals all around the world. CEO at Fasching and of Stockholm Jazz Festival, Eric Birath, artistic director of the Jazzfest Berlin, Nadin Deventer, founder of Comet Live, Sinem Tabagoğlu, as well as co-founder of 3dots and Bozcaada Jazz Festival Murat Sezgi joined this webinar as speakers.
Continue to Flow
Annual theme of Bozcaada Jazz Festival which is “autotelic” was giving credit to a new program called “Akış Sohbetleri” (Flow Talks). Also, a video and podcast series namely as “Nasılız?” (How Are We Doing?) was discussing how artists, professionals, people from arts and culture sector experience and compose during the pandemic.
Foundations contributing to the festival in establishing this program, Bozcaada Jazz Festival is a collaboration organized by allaturca, 3dots and fermente. Establishing this program, the festival is still managing its partnerships with Kendine Has, Volkswagen and Jack Lives Here.
Online program of Bozcaada Jazz Festival which is also supported by Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism is available to watch on Instagram, Spotify and YouTube for free.
Tickets for the 5th Bozcaada Jazz Festival that is to be held on 16-18 July, 2021 are already on sale at biletix.
For detailed information: bozcaadacazfestivali.com
