Anatolian Festival Announces Action-Packed Program

Los Angeles, CA (Top40 Charts/ Pacifica Institute) - More than 100 dancers and musicians will gather at the Anatolian Cultures and Food Festival at the OC Great Park in Irvine in May to celebrate the rich musical traditions of this region in modern-day Turkey. The festival is now in its second year and it is a rare chance to experience Anatolia's diverse heritage of food, crafts and music. The event will run May 6 to May 9, 2010 and tickets and information are available online at www.anatolianfestival.org.

"Music and dance have always been very important in Anatolian life," said Atilla Kahveci, vice president of the Pacifica Institute (www.pacificainstitute.org), the non-profit organization hosting the event. "Some of the music you'll hear has a history that goes back thousands of years."

The performers will arrive from all corners of Turkey and the US, and represent different cultures and religions, including Turkish, Sufi, Christian, Armenian, Greek and Ottoman. They will join last year's popular acts, the Whirling Dervishes, the traditional virtuoso Omer Faruk Tekbilek, the Armenian singer Yervant, Turkish pop musician Ferhat Atli and the oldest military marching band, the Mehter Takimi.

The line-up includes:

A 20-member dance group from Ankara, with master singers and musicians.

An all-girl Assyrian Church Choir from the city of Mardin.

An award-winning youth group from the city of Van specializing in regional music and dance.

A Greek folk group representing Sirtaki traditions.

A Circassian dance group.

A children's choir from a selection of US schools giving recitals in Turkish.

Performances will take place throughout the day at the main concert stage and at separate exhibit areas. The nightly concerts will feature the Whirling Dervishes on Saturday, May 8 and Omar Faruk Tekbilek on Sunday, May 9.

More details will be announced and a program will also be available at the festival. For more information call 310 208 7290.

For video of the festival click here: www.rribit.com/mnr/anatolian_festival_2010/