CHP's Özer and HEDEP's Buldan attend the concert of Kurdish soprano Pervin Chakar

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel and HEDEP Van Deputy Pervin Buldan attended the "An Opera Night" performance at Kadıköy Süreyya Opera by soprano Pervin Chakar and pianist Paolo Villa.

Following the program, Özel, CHP Diyarbakır Deputy Sezgin Tanrıkulu, HEDEP Van Deputy Pervin Buldan, CHP Istanbul Provincial Chairman Özgür Çelik, and Kadıköy Mayor Şerdil Dara Odabaşı took a commemorative photo together.

In a social media post, Özel said the following:

"We attended the 'An Opera Night' performance by the renowned soprano Pervin Chakar and pianist Paolo Villa at Süreyya Opera Stage in İstanbul's Kadıköy. Not only was Ms. Chakar's performance impressive, but also her messages of peace and brotherhood, along with her sharing of our earthquake sorrow, were moving."

Buldan also shared a post and said, "Together with our HEDEP Central Executive Committee members İlknur Birol and Murat Mıhçı, we attended the 'An Opera Night' performance by the renowned soprano Pervin Chakar and pianist Paolo Villa at Süreyya Opera Stage in Istanbul's Kadıköy. It was a magnificent performance."

Media organizations close to the government targeted Özel following his post. 

After widespread use of hate speech on social media, Kurdish artist Chakar wrote on her social media account: 

"Dear valued followers, last night we witnessed a magnificent evening at Süreyya Opera. I performed chamber music pieces by composers such as Ravel, Delibes, Lehar, Bellini, Strauß, Massenet, Brahms, Dvorak, as well as operetta and opera arias. In this historic theater, I sang works in German, Czech, Italian, and French, alongside pieces in my mother tongue, Kurdish, creating a beautiful atmosphere for the audience."

The artist emphasized that she believes it is her greatest right to perform works in her mother tongue, highlighting that she does not intend to seek permission from anyone for this.

"Despite all that has been written [on social media] since yesterday, I will continue to practice my art and bring it to many stages. Artists are also ambassadors of peace, carriers of both goodness and culture. My art transcends politics. Our values, culture, language, and art are the red lines for us Kurds and for me. Our door is open to everyone, to every thought. I prefer to respond to racist and offensive words with my art because everything is temporary, but art is always enduring" Chakar added. 

Tanrıkulu: "Kurds citizens of this Republic not recently"

CHP Diyarbakır Deputy Sezgin Tanrıkulu, on the other hand, wrote:

"Soon they will say, 'Going to the opera is also a terrorist activity.' Those who deal with the common values of Turkey, the Kurds, Kurdish artists, politicians, and ordinary citizens, on the other hand, are selling Turkish citizenship for money. Kurds are citizens of this Republic not recently, but since its establishment. Those who attack their language and culture for the sake of a concert should know that Kurds did not buy or later gain their citizenship with money. Their struggle is for equal citizenship in the face of your attacks."

Who is Pervin Chakar?

Kurdish opera artist. She was born on June 19, 1981, as the first child of a family with five children in the Derik district of Mardin.

She received opera training first in Turkey and then in Italy.

She started her opera studies with Oylun Davran Erdayı and continued them between 2004-2005 at the Accademia d'Arte Lirica Music Academy in Italy with Carmen Gonzales, William Mattetuzzi, Antonio Juvarra, H. Lawson, and between 2006-2008 at the Accademia Internazionale Musicale di Perugia with Sergio Bertocchi.

In 2006, she continued her opera education in Italy benefiting from a grant provided by the Italian government. She participated in masterclass programs with Luciana Serra, Lella Cuberli, Tiziana Fabbricini, Mietta Sighele, and Veriano Luchetti. In 2008, she graduated with honors from the Morlacchi State Conservatory in Perugia, Italy. She completed her master's degree with the highest distinction at the same conservatory.

Since 2016, she has been living in Germany. In 2018, she presented selections from Mozart's concert arias with the Cologne Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. In 2019, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Gomidas's birth, she gave concerts in Berlin and İstanbul. (AÖ/PE)