Grammy Award-winning trumpeter performs in Istanbul

By Aise Humeyra Bulovali

ISTANBUL (AA) - Grammy Award-winning master trumpeter and composer Chris Botti performed Tuesday at the Ataturk Cultural Center (AKM) in Istanbul, Turkey accompanied by other musicians.

In his speech onstage, Botti expressed his gratitude for being able to perform in the city again.

“We are grateful to have been given the opportunity to make music in Istanbul many times. It is wonderful to be asked to listen to our music again. The most important thing here is to come back to the city we enjoyed playing in,” he said.

He also expressed his pleasure to be onstage with talented and successful names in jazz music.

During the two-hour concert, Botti was accompanied by Lee Pearson on drums, Leonardo Amuedo on guitar, Holger Marjamaa on piano, Chad Lefkowitz Brown on saxophone, Reggie Hamilton on bass guitar, Caroline Campbell on violin and Sy Smith, Veronica Swift and Jonathan Johnson on vocals.

In the fall of 2017, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the new project known by its Turkish initials AKM, saying it would be a “symbolic” site in Istanbul.

Erdogan inaugurated the Ataturk Cultural Center on Friday.

The new building boasts a world-class opera hall with over 2,000 seats, a theater hall, backstage rooms and fair areas.

The center also has meeting rooms, administrative offices, restaurants and art galleries.