Every concert by Hezarfen Ensemble is an adventure.  Internationally recognized for its performances of contemporary music, it is above all the energy and vitality of this Istanbul-based group which has brought Hezarfen increasingly widespread recognition as the ensemble enters its sixth season.    With signature projects ranging from trio (Word and Sound) to interdisciplinary chamber opera (Deniz Küstü and Say I am You) and Music of Displacement, the impact of Hezarfen on music in Turkey has been profound, changing the face of contemporary music in its home country, while the infectious energy of its performances has brought acclaim for the ensemble in its appearances at festivals across Europe.   Key performances abroad have included MärzMusik (Berlin, 2013),  Rotterdam Operadagen (2012), the Divan project (Berlin and Istanbul, 2018), Klangzeit Festival Münster (2013), Essen Cultural Capital (2010), GHI, Rome (2016) and at the Trieste Prima festival (2015).  At home, Hezarfen regularly appears at the Istanbul Music Festival (2011, 2012, 2016, 2021), Borusan Music House (2010-2020), BAUART & Yapı Kredi (2018), Akbank Sanat (2011), Boğaziçi University (2013), Bilkent Music Academy and New Music Days (2011-2019) Institut Francais (2011), Saygun Centre Izmir (2012), Koç University (2015) and in collaborations with Goethe Institute (2011-2020), Italian, Netherlands and Austrian Cultural Centres (2017, 2012 and 2016-17).  

In 2019-2020 Hezarfen will continue its collaboration with Klangforum Wien, conducted by Beat Furrer for the closing concert of New Music Festival Ankara in May 2020. Hezarfen will also make its UK debut, with seven new commissions on a programme featuring makam instruments on Bristol New Music, and in 2020-21 stage the culmination of its landmark ERC Beyond East and West Project, Bin Boğalar Efsanesi (Where-To?), based on the novel by Yasar Kemal depicting the extinction of nomadism and pastoralist cultures, incorporating Anatolian instruments and voices with music by Michael Ellison.