Ahmed Adnan Saygun Art Center (AASSM)

Ahmed Adnan Saygun Art Center (AASSM)

The Ahmed Adnan Saygun Art Center (AASSM), a cultural gift of the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality to the city, represents the realization of a long-cherished vision dedicated to the arts. This vision, which began with an architectural design competition in 2000, came to life on 27 December 2008.

Designed by Architect Tevfik Tozkoparan, the project successfully transformed a former trolleybus depot and maintenance workshop into a contemporary center for artistic and cultural activities. Beyond architectural conversion, the building was reimagined as a public cultural space shaped in harmony with the lifestyle and social fabric of the people of Izmir.

Covering a total area of 29,500 m², the Ahmed Adnan Saygun Art Center is one of Turkey’s most distinguished cultural venues, featuring:

• a 1,130-seat Grand Hall,
• a 244-seat Small Hall,
• five exhibition galleries,
  as well as outdoor spaces suitable for open-air events.

The center is also recognized for its exceptional technical and acoustic qualities. Its acoustic design was developed by ARUP, the internationally renowned firm responsible for the acoustics of iconic venues such as the Sydney Opera House and the Royal Opera House in London.

AASSM opened its doors to art lovers on 27 December 2008 with a concert trilogy and an Istanbul Modern Exhibition. Since then, it has hosted a wide range of events appealing to diverse audiences, including:

• weekly concerts by the Izmir State Symphony Orchestra,
• distinguished performances by the Izmir State Opera and Ballet,
• major national and international events organized by the Izmir Foundation for Culture, Arts and Education, such as the Izmir European Jazz Festival and the International Izmir Festival.
  All of these have come to life within the inspiring atmosphere of AASSM.

Ahmed Adnan Saygun (1907–1991)

Born in Izmir on 7 September 1907, Ahmed Adnan Saygun was a composer, music educator, and ethnomusicologist who produced significant works in Western classical music. He holds the distinction of being the first State Artist of the Republic of Turkey.

As one of the composers known as the “Turkish Five”, Saygun occupies a central place in the history of Turkish music. He composed the first Turkish opera, Özsoy, and is best known for his masterpiece, the “Yunus Emre Oratorio”, one of the most frequently performed works of the Republican era.

After completing his musical education in Paris, Saygun returned to Turkey, where he contributed extensively as a composer, teacher, theorist, and researcher of folk music. His fieldwork in Anatolia with Béla Bartók played a pioneering role in establishing the scientific foundations of Turkish folk music studies.

Saygun composed five symphonies, operas, oratorios, concertos, chamber music, choral works, and numerous scholarly publications. His works have been performed by prestigious orchestras across Europe and the United States.

Ahmed Adnan Saygun passed away on 6 January 1991. His archive and scholarly legacy are preserved at the Ahmed Adnan Saygun Music Education and Research Center at Bilkent University.