 UNESCO's "World Poetry Day" is an annual event held around the globe on March 21. This years World Poetry Day program at Bilkent was dedicated to commemorating the great Yahya Kemal on the 50th anniversary of his death.
The evening started off with an opening speech by Ertuğrul Günay, Minister of Culture and Tourism, and Rector Prof. Ali Doğramacı. Günay gave a brief summary about the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's plans to celebrate Yahya Kemal's life and work throughout the year, including new books to be published, and a CD release featuring songs using his poems as lyrics.
Prof. İskender Pala presented a speech titled Yahya Kemal Şiiri ve Aşk, while Dr. Yılmaz Karakoyunlu offered Yahya Kemal'de Şiir ve Şarkı. Also on the bill was a performance by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism Classical Music Chorus, conducted by Uğur Bayrak. This saw Yıldız Kenter and Hilmi Yavuz recite such Kemal poems as Bir Başka Tepeden, Rindlerin Akşamı, Eski Musiki, Endülüs'te Raks, and Kar Musikileri that served as lyrics to the chorus' music.
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