Fanfare: A Musical Tale of Istanbul invites young readers to the fascinating world of classical music. Children and adults who read the book visit festival venues while being introduced to instruments, composers and classical music terms. Published with the support of the Bernard Van Leer Foundation, written by Göknil Özkök, illustrated by Kıymet Ergöçen, and edited by Burcu Ural Kopan, Fanfare: A Musical Tale of Istanbul was provided free of charge at festival venues, affiliated bookstores and İKSV Alt Kat during the festival. The festival also prepared a special listening list for children in parallel with the book. With this list, which can be found both in the book and on the website, children will be able to discover works by classical music composers from different periods.

In the book, the twins Lale and Sinan embark on a journey with The Lord of Music, travelling from The Süreyya Opera to The Hagia Sophia and from there to Galata Tower Square. The Lord of Music shows Lale and Sinan three of Istanbul Music Festival’s venues on this journey while introducing its little readers to musical instruments and composers through various games. The illustrated glossary at the end of the book introduces children to words and terms of classical music.

Fanfare: A Musical Tale of Istanbul, was prepared under the supervision of Boğaziçi University Department of Psychology faculty member Prof. Dr Feyza Çorapçı and published in three languages: Turkish, English and Arabic as well as in Braille. The book also includes events designed for children and an illustrated glossary.

Special events in parallel with the book were organised at İKSV Alt Kat: Learning and Interaction Space and at various festival venues. For detailed information about these events, please click here.