Commission to Donghoon Shin

The 2026 Istanbul Music Festival presents a new co-commission by South Korean composer Donghoon Shin, produced in collaboration with Wigmore Hall and Chamber Music Northwest. Shin is recognised for his combination of structural rigor and sonic experimentation, and his works have been performed by major ensembles and festivals across Asia, Europe, and North America. Shin’s new work for string quartet and countertenor is based on Rainer Maria Rilke’s Sonnets to Orpheus.

Founded in 1973, the Istanbul Music Festival features a range of repertoire from Baroque to contemporary. This year’s festival centers on the theme “impermanence,” examining the transient and shifting nature of experience. The programme includes Monteverdi’s “Possente spirto” from L’Orfeo, Shin’s new commission, excerpts from Gluck’s Orpheus and Eurydice, Samuel Barber’s Dover Beach, and Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13.

The commission to Donghoon Shin is supported by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation.

Further Information:
muzik.iksv.org

Date

June 14, 2026
Süreyya Opera House, Instanbul