CONCERT

City Sounds: Istanbul Modular Ensemble is coming to Vestel Amfi!

Berk Baysal is a singer, songwriter, and composer known for his distinctive style in Turkish alternative pop and soft rock. Gaining a wide audience with songs such as “Yaralarını Ben Sarayım,” “Bilmezsin,” “Zamanla Geçer,” and “Ölmedim,” the artist blends emotional lyrics with modern arrangements.

Berk Baysal will meet his audience at Vestel Amfi, bringing his distinctive sound and heartfelt songs to the stage.

Neco is coming to the touché by N Kolay stage on October 2, 2026, bringing his powerful vocals, beloved songs, and warm stage presence to his audience. Get ready for an unforgettable evening of music featuring timeless classics from Turkish pop, filled with nostalgia and great moments.

“Music and life are inseparable; my elders taught me that music is a culture and a way of life,” says Detroit-born saxophone virtuoso James Carter. Raised on recordings by Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, and sharing the stage with Wynton Marsalis at a young age, Carter is regarded as one of the most distinctive figures of his generation with his high-energy approach to music, moving effortlessly between tenor, alto, and soprano saxophones.

Having released numerous albums on labels such as Blue Note, EmArcy, and Atlantic, James Carter will be a guest of the 36th Akbank Jazz Festival with his concert on October 3 at Zorlu PSM Turkcell Platinum Stage, as part of the Coltrane: A Centennial Supreme tour.

Reflecting on this special performance, created in celebration of the 100th anniversary of John Coltrane’s birth, Carter says:

“We need to focus not only on Coltrane’s immense musical legacy, but also on the spirit that brought these works to life. The greatest purpose of this group is to honor Coltrane’s legacy and accompany his spirit through these performances.”

James Carter: Saxophone Gerard Gibbs: Piano Hilliard Greene: Bass Alex White: Drums

Founded in Istanbul in 2019, Sunset Stream is an alternative music group that brings a modern take to shoegaze and dream pop. Inspired by artists such as Alvvays, Lush, Slowdive, and Blonde Redhead, the group built its own audience with their debut single “Lütfen Kimseyi Çağırma” and EP Güverte.

Returning to music with “Ağaçtan Düşen” in 2024 and “Sonsuz Parti” in 2025, Sunset Stream has been featured on notable local and global playlists and continues to create new music.

Maya Perest is a Turkish singer-songwriter and composer whose distinctive voice bridges the ancient and the contemporary. Blending elements of Anatolian musical heritage with her own unique style, she began forging her artistic path at the age of ten, recording her first compositions on a tape recorder gifted by her mother.

After receiving classical piano training, she started translating her musical ideas to the piano during her teenage years. She later moved to Montpellier, France, to study Philosophy of Art at university, where she embraced a nomadic lifestyle centered around music. Traveling across Europe with her guitar, she continued writing and developing her original sound.

In October 2022, Maya Perest achieved widespread recognition with the release of her debut single, "Yok Bana Bu Cihanda," which received critical acclaim, including praise from renowned music critic Deniz Durukan. She has collaborated with prominent musicians such as Cihan Mürtezaoğlu, Tarkan Gözübüyük, and Okan Kaya.

Released in 2022, "Yok Bana Bu Cihanda" reached No. 1 on Spotify's Viral 50 Turkey chart, where it remained for three consecutive weeks. The song has also been featured in numerous Turkish television series and productions, including Arka Sokaklar, Aile Saadeti, and İyilik.

Most recently, Maya Perest released her single "Arkadaşlarım" under the Sony Music label. She describes her music as "modern shamanism"—an artistic expression that seeks to connect deeply with listeners through emotion, memory, and spirit.

From his first musical training within the Sufi tradition in Tunisia to becoming one of the most distinctive musical figures of his time, Dhafer Youssef has long transcended genre boundaries with his work, blending jazz, global music and spiritual exploration. Through his music, which brings the Arab musical tradition together with contemporary approaches, he has collaborated with internationally acclaimed musicians such as Marcus Miller, Herbie Hancock and Eivind Aarset.

Shiraz (2025), Youssef’s first album as a bandleader released on the ACT label, offers an introspective journey shaped around love, gratitude, light and shadow. Dedicated to his wife, Shiraz Fradi, the album reflects the couple’s deep connection and the life they have shared together. On Shiraz, Youssef approaches the oud with the sensitivity of a chamber music instrument, while his devotional-sounding vocals and delicate falsetto passages engage in an intricate dialogue with trumpet, piano, bass, drums, as well as Nguyên Lê’s guitar and sound designs.

Dhafer Youssef will take the stage at Zorlu PSM Turkcell Platinum Sahnesi on October 7 as part of the ACT Night series, presented through a collaboration between the 36th Akbank Jazz Festival and ACT Music.

Dhafer Youssef: Oud, vocals Daniel Garcia: Piano Mario Rom: Trumpet Swaeli Mbappé: Bass guitar Tao Ehrlich: Drums

The Cinematic Orchestra Live at Turkcell Stage on October 7

The Cinematic Orchestra have continuously evolved their sound while preserving the distinctive musical identity that founding member Jason Swinscoe first established more than two decades ago. In 2019, the band returned with their fourth studio album, To Believe. Swinscoe and longtime collaborator Dominic Smith brought together an impressive lineup of artists, including Moses Sumney, Roots Manuva, Dorian Concept, Grey Reverend, and Heidi Vogel. The album received widespread critical acclaim from publications such as The Guardian, The Independent, Q Magazine, GQ, and Bandcamp, while The Observer awarded it five stars, calling it "a triumph" and "heartbreakingly brilliant."

To date, The Cinematic Orchestra have released four critically acclaimed studio albums. Among them are Every Day and Ma Fleur, the latter featuring their most celebrated track, To Build A Home, which has been streamed more than 300 million times worldwide. The band has sold hundreds of thousands of albums, amassed nearly half a billion streams, and earned praise from critics across the globe. Beyond their studio work, they have composed acclaimed film scores, including the soundtrack for Dziga Vertov's 1929 avant-garde masterpiece Man with a Movie Camera, released by Ninja Tune, and Disney's documentary Crimson Wing. Their composition Arrival of the Birds was also featured in the Academy Award-winning Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything.

Renowned for their mesmerizing and immersive live performances, The Cinematic Orchestra have performed for hundreds of thousands of fans around the world. They have sold out prestigious venues including London's Royal Albert Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the Sydney Opera House, Philharmonie de Paris, and Rome's Auditorium Parco della Musica. Their festival appearances include Coachella, Glastonbury, Montreux Jazz Festival, Fuji Rock, and Sónar.

In January 2021, during the COVID-19 lockdown, the band performed at London's Royal Festival Hall as part of Southbank Centre's socially distanced film series, debuting new material live. In recent years, they have also celebrated the 20th anniversaries of Every Day and Man with a Movie Camera with deluxe reissues and a European tour featuring brand-new visuals synchronized with the original silent film. The Cinematic Orchestra are currently working on their next album alongside a new generation of musicians and songwriters, with recording sessions taking place between Los Angeles, London, and Lisbon.

A defining figure in the history of jazz, Arturo Sandoval is a versatile composer and performer who masterfully blends Afro-Cuban music, jazz, and classical music traditions. A student of legendary trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, Sandoval played a pivotal role in the transformation of Cuban music as a founding member of the groundbreaking group Irakere.

A 10-time Grammy Award-winning musician, Sandoval has built a remarkable career not only through his virtuosity on trumpet and flugelhorn, but also through his work as a composer and arranger, collaborating with a wide range of artists from Stevie Wonder and Frank Sinatra to Celia Cruz and Alicia Keys. Through his trumpet concertos, performances with symphony orchestras, and compositions for film projects, he has developed an interdisciplinary approach to music.

Described by the London Evening Star as “the kind of virtuoso who appears only once or twice in a generation,” Sandoval will perform at the 36th Akbank Jazz Festival on October 8 at Zorlu PSM Turkcell Platinum Stage.

Arturo Sandoval: Trumpet Lisandro Pidre: Piano William Brahm: Guitar Daniel Feldman: Drums Maximilian Gerl: Bass Michael Tucker: Saxophone Samuel Torres: Percussion Keith Fiala: Trumpet Larry Bustamante: Baritone Saxophone

Turkish artist Selin Sümbültepe blends folk, pop, and Middle Eastern influences into a contemporary sound. In 2024, she released her EP Hemhal, produced by Zeid Hamdan and inspired by the culture of her hometown Hatay, in southeastern Türkiye, which was severely affected by the 2023 earthquake. Her influences span a wide range of artists, from Fairuz and Yasmin Hamdan to flutist Naïssam Jalal, as well as Turkish artists such as Barış Manço and Aysel Gürel.

Selin Sümbültepe has performed at leading festivals in Türkiye, including the Istanbul Jazz Festival, and was featured in ARTE Tracks East’s 2025 documentary exploring the political and social climate of contemporary Türkiye. In 2025, she performed at international festivals in Tunisia, Portugal, and Switzerland and embarked on her first European tour.

One of Turkey's leading jazz drummers, Ferit Odman will present quintet arrangements from his critically acclaimed albums Autumn in New York and Nommo, both of which received four-star reviews from DownBeat magazine. Joined by his quintet, Odman invites audiences on an unforgettable journey into the rich and soulful world of hard bop.

mor ve ötesi Symphonic Concert on October 9 at Zorlu PSM Turkcell Stage.