Turkish music performances and traditional attire drew interest from world leaders and international delegations during events held as part of the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit in Ankara, the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry said.
Artists affiliated with the ministry’s cultural institutions performed at official programmes held at the Presidential Complex and Cankaya Mansion, presenting a repertoire ranging from Western classical music to selected works from Turkish and Turkic world musical traditions.
The ministry said the performances contributed to Türkiye’s cultural diplomacy through the universal language of art as Ankara hosted leaders and delegations for the NATO summit.
Artists from the Presidential Symphony Orchestra, known as the CSO, performed in several programmes during the summit, receiving appreciation from visiting leaders.
French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated members of the CSO Cello Stars one by one after their performance at the leaders’ dinner and expressed his appreciation for the quality of the performance. Macron also said he would like to listen to the ensemble in France.
The Samida Group, which performed at the conclusion of the dinner programme, received praise from international guests for its multilingual performance.
US President Donald Trump expressed his appreciation with a gesture during the group’s performance and congratulated the artists.
Four different ensembles of CSO artists participated in welcome ceremonies, leaders’ meetings and reception programmes at the Presidential Complex.
The Samida Group created a multicultural atmosphere at the end of the dinner programme, performing songs in Turkish, Romani, Greek, English and Albanian.
