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The Antalya International Piano Festival is one the major artistic events in the city, making you expect a lot from the city as your flight to Antalya lands. The event is organized every year by world renowned classical pianist from Turket, Fazil Say, under the aegis of the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality. Each year the festival hosts several piano concerts by well-known artists coming from all parts of the world. The event is held at the Antalya Culture Centre.

The festival features different classical performers from Turkey, both individual and in groups. Spanning three weeks, the festival brings some unique and unforgettable performances by famous international musicians. The event, under the guidance of Fazil Say, pays tribute to great composers of the past, in through different performances.

All the performances are held in the evening, so you can look to enjoy some great music after an entire day exploring the city. The concert usually opens with performance by Fazil Say along with a group of other performers. One of the nights is also dedicated to young artists performing for the first time. The festival acts as a great platform for debutante artists to perform in front of a world audience.

The inaugural ceremony is usually attended by government officials including the Governor of Antalya. Apart from rendition of famous artists such as Bach and Mozart, artists also play some of their own pieces. Orchestra also forms part of the concerts with contribution from other artists playing different instruments in conjunction with the piano. For instance, the famous Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra is quite a regular participant in the festival, performing under their conductor Vladimir Spivakov.

Most visitors look to enjoy the appeal of classical music, where some even attend it with young children to get them interested in different kinds of music. The entire event is quite mesmerizing, a great relief from the usual popular music.

Though the festival is organized with great enthusiasm, it has not received much support from the government and is solely dependent on the funds given by the Antalya Municipality. However, looking at the global acclaim the festival receives each year, the organizers are surely looking for other sponsors.