Built originally as an opera house, Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM) in Taksim Square (tel. 0212/251-5600) houses the State Opera and Ballet, the Symphony Orchestra, and the State Theatre Company. Tickets are absurdly low at 4YTL to 16YTL ($3-$12), and are usually available for purchase in the month of as well as the day of the performance. During the summer months, AKM hosts the Istanbul Arts Festival but because of high demand, tickets may be hard to come by. The English-language student publication Istanbul Classified compiles a monthly listing of events; copies are free and available around town (try The Pudding Shop in Sultanahmet; see "Where to Dine" earlier in this chapter), or check out their website at www.istanbulclassified.com. You can also check out the government's website at www.kultur.gov.tr for the schedule of performances.
The annual International Istanbul Festival (tel. 0212/334-0700; www.istfest.org) is organized into four separate arts festivals averaging over 50 events yearly. The festival kicks off with the Film Festival in April, including two national and international competitions. The 2003 festival screened over 175 films in a variety of venues in Beyoglu and Kadiköy. The theater section of the festival brings companies from all over Europe and takes place in May, with one or two offerings in English. At the end of October or in early November, selected international artists come together for the Biennale, but the big to-do takes place in June/July with the International Istanbul Music Festival, representing the worlds of opera, jazz, classical music, and ballet in evocative settings like the St. Irene, and featuring world-renowned performers like Wynton Marsalis or the traditional performance of Der Entführung aus dem Serail (Abduction from the Seraglio) appropriately staged in Topkapi Palace. A separate Jazz Festival, sponsored by Efes Pilsen, takes place in November in various venues around town, including local jazz clubs, cultural centers, and the open-air theater above Taksim.
