Çağatay Akyol, who is Turkey's only professional male harpist and a part of the Presidential Symphony Orchestra (CSO), performs live concerts on his Instagram account three days a week so that those experiencing anxiety due to the fear of the coronavirus can sleep comfortably. Along with Turkey, Akyol's concerts have also attracted interest in Japan. Believing in the therapeutic power of harp, the Japanese shared the advertisements of the concerts on Friday, April 24 and May 1, on their main music pages on social media.
Akyol, who quarantined himself after returning from a concert at Harvard University and a U.S. tour in early March, has started live concerts on Instagram to help those battling the coronavirus relax and sleep well. Akyol's live concerts on Instagram at 11 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday have attracted a large audience.
CSO artist and harp group conductor Çağatay Akyol told Anadolu Agency (AA) that people of all ages have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and he decided to use the therapeutic power of harp given the severity of the situation.
Indicating that he has named the concert project “corona therapy,” Akyol said: “Listening to the harp was found to have effective results in the treatment of paralyzed, cancerous and disabled patients in institutes established in the U.S. in the 1970s. It was therapeutic for patients. Currently, this treatment is widely used in hospitals in the U.S. When I was thinking about how to use the sound of therapeutic crystal water droplets in this extremely tense period, I came to the conclusion that everyone needed to relax with this instrument. I perform concerts for adults on my Instagram account at 11 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.”
Concerts for children
Akyol stated that he will start new concerts under the name "Before Sleep" for the children confined at home, adding: “I will perform concerts for children on my Instagram account from 9.30 p.m. to 10 p.m. every day. These concerts for children will start on April 20. I want the children to sleep with my harp and their parents reading them books. Children are not able to go out. Coronavirus programs prevail televisions. I want to have my finger in the pie, let the harp’s sound create happiness in our children's ears and let them sleep soundly.”
Advising everyone to stay home as much as possible, Akyol stated that good days are almost here. He believes the world can overcome anything.
