The 15th International Jazz Festival will be held in Istanbul from July 2nd to 16th by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture & Arts.

The opening concert will take place at the Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Theater in Istanbul.

Hancock, the honorary guest of the festival, will also take stage at the Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall on Thursday.

The Big 3 Palladium Orchestra, bass virtuoso Marcus Miller, trompet players Muvaffak Falay and Wolfgang Puschnig, saxophonist Ulf Andersson, pianists Carl Fredrik Orrje and Sabri Tulug Tirpan, contrabass player Kagan Yildiz, drummer Ferit Odman, New Orleans jazz band Coolbone are the other performers of the festival.

Turkcell Kurucesme Arena, Esma Sultan Yalisi (Mansion), Sepetciler Kasri (Mansion), Hagia Eirene Museum, Istanbul Archeological Museum, Istinye Park, Nardis Jazz Club are the venues of the festival.

The Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts is a non-profit, non-governmental organization founded in 1973 by fourteen businessmen who gathered under the leadership of Dr. Nejat F. Eczacibasi with the aim of organising an international arts festival in Istanbul.

The foundation's initial goal was to offer the finest examples of art from around the world, while at the same time promoting Turkish national, cultural and artistic assets by using arts to create an international platform of communication.

The jazz festival celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. Set to take place between July 2nd and 16th, the festival will be presenting nearly 40 concerts bringing together with the audiences prominent jazz artists around the world as well as esteemed figures of the pop, rock, folk and world music.

AA