The Istanbul International Harp Festival will be held for the first time in Turkey from Jan. 15 to Jan. 19 in memory of Ceren Necipoğlu, the Turkish harpist who died in a plane crash 10 years ago on her return from Brazil. The festival will be held in the historical Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, a city that has left its mark on history as a center of culture and arts.

The Ceren Necipoğlu Istanbul International Harp Festival is being organized to spread the mission of "learning by sharing" that Necipoğlu built her life on, as well as to help participants explore new horizons and contribute to the development of harp art in Turkey. The festival, which includes solo harp and chamber music competitions as well as concerts and masterclasses by world-famous artists who make up the jury, will be held with the motto "let the love of art and music find its way with young people!" and will be led by Necipoğlu's elder sister A. İmre Tüylü.

Necipoğlu's fellow artists, students and family are aiming to continue her journey full of love for the harp and music through the Ceren Necipoğlu Istanbul International Harp Festival.

This is the journey of a life dedicated to the harp, adorned with national and international concerts, in an effort to carefully nurture young people and students. It has been 10 years since Necipoğlu's passionate life on the strings of the harp ended with a plane crash in a stormy ocean.

Necipoğlu's story began with a picture of a harp-playing girl she saw on a notebook cover. The love of the harp and music, which became fixed in her heart when she saw that picture, took little Ceren on a journey from the preparatory school of the conservatory to her master's degree at Indiana University and to her teaching position at Anadolu University.

Necipoğlu, who dedicated her life to the art of playing the harp, founded the Harp Department at Anadolu University. The students who she trained with great effort, care and love continue to follow her path today as brilliant young musicians.

When Necipoğlu was a lecturer, all the national and international activities that she and her students participated in contributed to the experiences of young artists and enabled them to develop and gain acclaim. Necipoğlu attached great importance to the effect of such initiatives on the training of young musicians and was always in pursuit of doing different things, especially in the harp world, to combine the tunes of Turkey with the music of the harp. For this reason, at a time when dedicatory works are gradually declining, dozens of works have been dedicated to this humble musician by her fellow artists.