At the second event marking the 20th anniversary of the YoungEast Festival, 50 young musicians took to the stage. Held on Monday, 25 May at the 700-year-old historic The Old Church in Clissold Park, the festival drew attention with orchestras formed by children performing together with their parents.
The programme featured a wide musical selection ranging from Aşık Veysel Şatıroğlu and W. A. Mozart to legendary rock bands and classical music pieces. Parents accompanying their children on different instruments added a special meaning to the festival.
The opening performance of the festival — which aims to provide young musicians with a platform to develop their talents and connect with the wider community — was given by “ÜÇ BEBE, Bİ DEDE” (“Three Kids and One Grandpa”), consisting of 7–8-year-olds Sarp Ercosman, Denis Kazbek and Asil Ali Temur together with their instructor Sedat Sarıcı.
Following a series of solo piano performances, five-year-old Ata Öz and his mother Güzel Öz performed the folk song “Delilo” with the entire audience joining in.
The trio “ANA, BABA, BEBE” (“Mother, Father, Baby”), made up of Deniz, Sena and Anıl Gençay, performed “Last Resort” by Papa Roach.
DREAM BAND — featuring Rüya Clara Lustgarten, Kuzey Yıldız and Zerdu Karakollik — included “Al Yazmalım,” composed by Cahit Berkay of Moğollar, in their repertoire. Young guitarist Kuzey Yıldız received a standing ovation for his interpretation of “İnsan İnsan,” composed by Fazıl Say, dedicated to the memory of 11 students and a teacher who lost their lives in last month’s deadly school attack in Kahramanmaraş.
“ZERDU & BROTHERS,” consisting of Arjen, Ezel and Zerdu, brought excitement to the festival with slap bass improvisations during their performance of the pop classic “Impossible.”
The group HOKKABAZ energised the audience with rock arrangements of “Mağusa Limanı,” “Garip,” “İzmir Marşı,” and “Gündüz Gece,” encouraging enthusiastic audience participation.
In the festival’s Piano Series, the performers included Kayra Kaan Uskuri, Kuzey Girgin, Cayden Parks-Smith, Firaz Kısa, Anna Kısa, Ali Haydar Demir, Masal Hurman, Denis Kazbek, Mayıs Eroğlu, Masal Sarıkaya, Veysel Demir, Arya Atik, Asil Temur, Rüya Lustgarten, Ronya Has, Arjen Karakollik, Şimal Uzun, Ayşe Çiçek, İsyan İçöz, Berzan Yapıcı, Beren Yapıcı, Yılmaz Gerçek, Miran Kuyumcu, Mahir Kuyumcu and Beren Ercosman.
Among the promising young musicians of the future was Beren Yapıcı, who performed “Vignette,” a Grade 8-level examination piece, on the piano.
The festival’s Classical Guitar Series featured performances by Sarp Ercosman, Ezel Karakollik, Beste Beyter and Berzan Yapıcı.
Over the festival’s 20-year history, many young participants have earned places at institutions such as Academy of Contemporary Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, BTEC Diploma in Music Technology and Centre for Young Musicians. Young artists who continue to rise with their original compositions and songs have already released second and third albums and continue performing concerts across Türkiye and European capitals.
Music educator Suzan Beyazıt expressed her hope that the festival would continue to grow and become a lasting part of the wider community. She emphasised that the stage is not limited to her own students but is open to all children who wish to participate. She added that such platforms can help bring society closer to the arts while creating a cultural space in which the community can make its presence felt in the country they live in.
