ISU Liv Hospital Bahçeşehir, in collaboration with the Women Physicians Education Support Foundation (KAHEV) organized a concert to support the education scholarship benefitting children of healthcare colleagues who perished in the pandemic. A choir composed of specialist physicians and healthcare workers performed. The theme of the event was "Your Trust is Our Trust." The entire proceeds of the concert will be channeled through KAHEV to support the education of children.
The concert, held at the Cem Karaca Cultural Center by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB), was conducted by choir conductor Atakan Konakçı. The program, rehearsed in about four months, included beloved pieces from Turkish folk and classical music and pop music in its repertoire. The choir and soloists received great applause from the audience as they interpreted pieces such as 'Sarı Gelin,' 'Bahçede Yeşil Çınar,' and 'Elveda Gençliğim.'
RECTOR İBİŞ: ART IS THE EXPRESSION OF BEAUTY, GOODNESS, AND HUMANITY
Attending the concert, Prof. Dr. Erkan İbiş, the Rector of Istinye University, said, "The Founder of our Republic, Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, defines the republic as 'the protector of those without unprotection.' This is a very profound and meaningful statement. He also says another thing: 'Art is the expression of beauty.' Of course, we all know that art is the expression of beauty, goodness, and humanity. Here today, we combine both. We become the protector of those without unprotection. The strongest and most valuable tool for this is art. The physicians and healthcare personnel of Liv Bahçeşehir Hospital of Istinye University act with an amateur enthusiasm and with faith and determination to take care of the children of their colleagues who were martyred during the pandemic. Today they present us with a beautiful performance."
DR. AKPINAR: THE CHILDREN OF HEALTH WORKERS MARTYRED IN THE PANDEMIC ARE ACTUALLY OUR CHILDREN
Dr. Fatih Akpınar, the General Manager of the hospital, stated, "The team organizing this concert is a choir made up of healthcare workers from the hospital. There are no musicians among us; we are all people whose main job is healthcare. As you know, we experienced a very large pandemic. A scholarship is being organized for the children of healthcare workers who were martyred during this pandemic and we wanted to contribute to this initiative through this concert, 'Your Trust is Our Trust', organized by the Women Physicians Education Support Foundation. All proceeds will go to educational scholarships for the children of healthcare martyrs.
Healthcare workers are a family, and we have gone through difficult times together. Now, it's our turn maintain the trust after these difficult times. Our colleagues have been working intensely for months. They will perform an important show here, and they will take part in an important social responsibility project. The children of healthcare workers who were martyred during the pandemic are our own children, too. This is an act of kindness, and I hope this approach sets an example for all institutions that think like us."
KESTEK: WE ARE EXPERIENCING VERY EMOTIONAL MOMENTS
Mehtap İgaç Kestek, the Deputy General Manager of the hospital, said, "Today, all of us along with our entire team are experiencing very emotional moments. This concert has purpose. We support the children of healthcare workers who were martyred during the pandemic with the words, 'Your Trust is Our Trust.' We provide this support to them in the form of educational scholarships from the proceeds from the tickets sold at this concert. With such meaningful purpose, we all become very emotional."
AKSOY: MUSIC NOURISHED MY SOUL AS IF IT WERE FOOD
Serkan Aksoy, a Clinical Dietitian participating in the choir, expressed, "I am deeply honored to be part of this choir. If we can contribute even slightly to the educational support of the children of healthcare workers, it brings us great joy. We had a wonderful time to the best of our ability. Even during our preparation for the concert, we had a great time. Now, even on stage, we surprise ourselves. We had a very good conductor who led us. That's why we've been working on this for 4 months. Singing is indeed very difficult, but we need to nourish our souls. As a nutrition consultant, I may assist people in terms of food, but singing also nourishes my soul. I enjoyed it very much. I am also proud to work shoulder-to-shoulder with all my colleagues."
“SINGING IS MORE DIFFICULT”
Expressing that singing is more difficult compared to his profession, Aksoy said, proceeds of the concert will be channeled through KAHEV to support the education of children. "Singing is really challenging. Therefore, we make a special effort for it. We had received some training for this as well. It was actually a very short training. I had a great time. It will be a memory that stays with me. Maybe we can even continue, it was very enjoyable for me. I anticipated that it would be a good concert, but I didn't expect it to be this good. It surprised even me. I respectfully commemorate the healthcare workers who lost their lives, and I wish success to their children."
