On 11.05.2023, The Classical Music Choir of Boğaziçi University’s Music Club, BÜMK, took the stage in Albert Long Hall for an unforgettable night of music. With the talent and passion of our fellow peers, the night was indistinguishable from any ‘’famous’’ acts that we see in the media. Their dedication, professionalism, and hard work were the key to this successful concert, and we felt the utmost privilege to experience this night with them.

The theme of the concert was ‘’night’’ and with their arrangement of the repertoire and the songs, it felt like they were taking the audience on a journey in the different time frames of a night. The repertoire was exceptionally diverse with the pieces from different countries and in different languages. The choir performed eight songs: Evening Rise (arr. Meinhar Ahnson), Norwegian Lullaby (Gunnar Eriksson), Turnalar (arr. Hayri Akay), Svjati Bože (P.I. Tchaikovsky), Sen Emanet Kal Tanrıya (arr. Leonard Lechner), Laçin (arr. Ali Sevgi), Silent Night (arr. Pentatonix), and Northern Light (Ola Gjeilo). The choir performed all of them in an extremely enthusiastic, professional, and touching way, and at the end when the concert was finished, I personally felt like I woke up from a night full of dreams and had to go back to real life. 

My personal favorites were Norwegian Lullaby (Gunnar Eriksson) and Northern Light (Ola Gjeilo). In Norwegian Lullaby, the harmony of different sounds and pieces from the choir was mesmerizing. While one could hear all the different notes and the voices extremely clearly, one could also hear all of them as a piece all together in great harmony. The amount of time and work that was probably required for the rehearsal must be extreme, but it was a worthy and captivating performance in the end. My second favorite was Northern Light. While listening to this very last song, it felt like we were on a holy journey with the choir. With its high and low points, it was a whole pack of emotions and a story by itself.

We should, for sure, credit this talented and passionate choir for their astonishing performance. With the lead of their successful conductor, Başak Mansuroğlu, the chorists of this incredible team are Eda Deniz Demirel, Şükran Yüksel, Tuğçe Fındık, Zeynep Sude Yıldız, Çağla Eren, Melike Taşlıcalı, Simay Ersoy, Erencan Özkan, Sezai Avcı, Murat İren, Deniz Efe Yılmaz, İsmail Aykut Sapaz, Tarık Örkcüoğlu, and Emre Özger. Also, Murat Iren opened the show with an awe-inspiring piano performance performing the piece Intermezzo Op. 118 No. 2 (Johannes Brahms) and welcomed us to the ‘’night’’ that we will live through together. We thank each and every one of these talented artists for their stunning performances and the magical journey that they accompanied us. It was an unforgettable experience that we will remember with admiration.