TCF has provided a major grant to underwrite Access Orpheus, a program of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra that will bring 250 public school students from throughout New York City to a performance of Fazıl Say with the Orpheus Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. The concert will take place in April. An acclaimed Turkish pianist and chamber artist, Say will join the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra for a series of performances and audience engagement programs in New York in April. The program aims to expand audiences’ awareness of Turkey's ongoing contribution to western classical music. Through Access Orpheus and TCF's support, students will have their first experience with live classical music and will be provided with a study guide about Fazıl Say and the music-making process used by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.

TCF was pleased to team up once again in 2015 with the World Affairs Council of America (WACA) to present the first phase of TCF's annual Spotlight on Turkey program for K-12 teachers. To kick off this effort, 12 WACA councils hosted Teacher Workshops on Turkey in their regions to introduce interested teachers to the breadth of Turkish art, history, and culture. Nearly 400 teachers participated in the workshops. Participating in the workshops makes teachers eligible to apply for the 2-week TCF Teacher Study Tours this summer, which will take up to 50 social science teachers to Turkey.

Since 2009, TCF has provided internships to American students. This month, Samantha Paige Reif and Henry Tappan Schoonmaker will spend several weeks at TCF Istanbul interning for the TCF Istanbul Office and the TCF Culinary Arts Center-YESAM. Both students are currently studying at Bahcesehir University through the Syracuse University Study Abroad program at this university.

On March 5, YESAM hosted food culture researcher İlhan Eksen, who presented a seminar on "Multicultural Istanbul Cuisine." This seminar discussed the food history of Istanbul as well as the culinary cultures of all the ethnic groups that reside in Istanbul and their influence on the overall cuisine. YESAM also collaborated with NAR Restaurant for a seminar and dinner event on Balkan Cuisine on March 21. The seminar was presented by journalist and food culture researcher Nedim Atilla and Chef Vedat Başaran.

In April, YESAM will host Prof. Dr. Evangelia Balta for a seminar on “Olive and Olive Oil Culture on both sides of the Aegean Sea,” which will be presented in Turkish. Past YESAM lectures are periodically uploaded for online viewing on the TCF Video Gallery.

Meanwhile, Turkish cooking traditions are highlighted every month with the YESAM Recipe of the Month, which features a regional Turkish dish called “Morel Mushroom Stew with Yoghurt Sauce.” The morel mushroom is now in season and grows mostly in the southern part of Turkey. It is one of the tastiest and most valued mushrooms among the fungi family.

The panel, "Mübadele: Population Exchange between Turkey and Greece" was held at the TCF Istanbul Office on March 19. Prof. Dr. Evangelia Balta, National Hellenic Research Foundation, and a TCF Fellow, lectured on “The Cultural Aspects of the Livelihoods of the Exchanged Greek Refugees.” İpek Özel, lecturer at Istanbul Bilgi University, gave a talk on “The eternal longing for the roots: The culture and traditions of the Turkish-Cretan and Greek refugees after the Exchange."

Prof. Dr. Gönül Tekin of the Ottoman Studies Foundation gave a lecture entitled, ”From Past to Present: The Activities of the Ottoman Summer School of Harvard University-Koc University-Turkish Cultural Foundation” at the TCF Istanbul Office on March 24. The Ottoman Summer School is a language program that takes place in Cunda, Turkey every year and has been funded by a multi-year TCF grant.

All TCF Istanbul lectures are recorded and may be watched online on the TCF Video Gallery. For more information on upcoming TCF Lecture Series in Turkish Culture and Art, please visit here.

Pınar Öğrenci (TCF Cultural Exchange Fellow-2015) is participating in a residency program at R.A.T. Residencias Artisticas Por Intercambio through May 16, 2015. She exhibited her installation work "Collapsing New Buildings" at the Biennial of the Frontiers in Tamaulipas, Mexico.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tolgahan Çoğulu (TCF Cultural Exchange Fellow-2015) gave a lecture and performed a guitar concert with the National University of Singapore Guitar Ensemble at the National University of Singapore on March 10-13.

Prof. Dr. Mehmet Öcal Özbilgin, Gül Kaplan Ekemen and İdris Ersan Küçük (TCF Cultural Exchange Fellows-2015) attended a dance residency program in Pula, India.