Throughout 2025, our University actively contributed to local arts and cultural life through concerts, theatre performances, and cultural events organised by student societies, music groups, theatre clubs, and academic units. Our cultural centres, open spaces, and event venues hosted numerous artistic activities bringing together students, staff, members of the local community, public institutions, non-governmental organisations, and art lovers.
One of the most comprehensive arts and culture programmes in 2025 was the Science, Culture and Art (BKS) Week, held for the third time between 19 and 25 May 2025. Throughout the week, concerts, theatre performances, exhibitions, cultural shows, and other artistic activities were organised. The programme was delivered with contributions from different faculties and units of our University, as well as students, staff, and guest artists.
Turkish Folk Music Club Concert
One of the significant examples of our University’s artistic activities was the Turkish Folk Music Club Concert, held on 25 May 2025 at the Atatürk Cultural Centre. The choir, composed of students from our University, performed under the direction of Lecturer Engin Ahmet Muhsir from the Department of Fine Arts, presenting both choral and solo performances featuring songs from different regions of Anatolia.
The concert was attended by approximately 300 people and contributed to bringing traditional Turkish folk music to a broad audience. The programme also included works by Volkan Konak, one of Trabzon’s prominent artists, thereby contributing to the preservation and promotion of local cultural heritage.
Our University Theatre Club – “The Miser”
Our University’s student societies are also actively involved in theatre. On 24 May 2025, the University Theatre Club staged Molière’s classic play “The Miser” at the Main Hall of the Atatürk Cultural Centre.
The performance, which began at 20:00, attracted considerable interest from theatre audiences, with spectators filling the hall to watch the performance by our University students. This event demonstrates our University’s support for student theatre and its contribution to making theatrical arts accessible to wider audiences.
70th Anniversary Concert
As part of the celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of our University, a concert was held on 20 May 2025, featuring TRT Radio Vocal Artist Nusret Yılmaz and the Turkish Music Ensemble. The performance included distinguished works of Turkish music and constituted an important part of our University’s cultural and artistic programme.
Evidence:
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/bks2025/haber/universitemizin-70-yili-kokteyl-ve-konser-ile-taclandi-3
Cultural Night
The “Cultural Night”, held on 22 May 2025 at the Atatürk Cultural Centre, provided international students of our University with an opportunity to share their cultures with the wider community through artistic performances.
The programme featured traditional dances, instrumental performances, songs, poetry, and stage performances representing different cultures. The target audience was not limited to students and staff of our University; public institutions and organisations, as well as non-governmental organisations in Trabzon, were also explicitly included among the intended participants. In this respect, the event constituted an important example of cultural interaction between the University and the local community.
Evidence:
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/bks2025/YLuqECf67q
Collaboration with Local Arts Organisations
In addition to supporting its own student societies, our University also provides venues for local arts organisations in Trabzon to carry out cultural activities. In this context, the Trabzon TAKA Music and Folk Dance Association Turkish Art Music Concert was held on 22 May 2025 at our University’s Atatürk Cultural Centre.
This event demonstrates that our University not only produces artistic activities through its own members but also directly contributes to the cultural life of Trabzon by supporting the performances of local arts organisations.
Evidence:
https://surdurulebilirlik.ktu.edu.tr/bks2025/etkinlikler
Opening Our Cultural and Artistic Infrastructure to the Local Community
Our University’s contribution to arts and cultural life is not limited to performances by its own student communities. Throughout 2025, the Atatürk Cultural Centre and other University venues hosted numerous concerts and cultural performances.
University activity records for 2025 show that concerts by the TRT Trabzon Regional Directorate Youth Choir, Turkish Art Music performances, local school orchestras, and many other musical events were held at our University’s cultural venues. For example, the TRT Trabzon Regional Directorate Youth Choir performed on 5 May 2025, our University’s Gademe Gademe Art Club performed on 7 May 2025, the Trabzon Akçaabat Fine Arts High School Orchestra performed on 8 May 2025, and the TRT Youth Choir performed again on 16 May 2025, all at the Atatürk Cultural Centre.
These examples demonstrate that our University opens its cultural and artistic infrastructure to local artists, schools, public institutions, and arts organisations outside the University, thereby contributing to the cultural life of Trabzon.
Evidence:
https://webmail.ktu.edu.tr/dosyalar/sgdb_UqUhA.pdf
2025 Performance Programme
The official 2025 Science, Culture, Art and Sports Week programme of our University included the following live performances:
Evidence:
https://surdurulebilirlik.ktu.edu.tr/bks2025/bks25-bilim-kultur-sanat-spor-haftasi-takvimi
General list of events:
https://surdurulebilirlik.ktu.edu.tr/bks2025/etkinlikler
In conclusion, throughout 2025, our University supported performances by its own student choirs, music groups, and theatre clubs, while also providing venues and visibility for local artists, choirs, orchestras, and cultural organisations, thereby making an active contribution to the artistic and cultural life of Trabzon. The regular organisation of concerts, theatre performances, traditional music and dance events, and multicultural stage performances clearly demonstrates our University’s institutional contribution to the preservation, promotion, and public accessibility of local arts and cultural heritage.
