At Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University (BEUN), the unforgettable icon of Turkish music and cultural ambassador who captured the hearts of people from 7 to 70, Barış Manço was commemorated with a meaningful concert held on the 27th anniversary of his passing.
“The Voice of Anatolia from Tradition to the Future: Barış Manço Commemoration Concert”, organized to commemorate the artist who passed on 1 February 1999, was held at Sezai Karakoç Cultural Center on Farabi Campus on 13 February 2026.
The concert was attended with great interest by Buket Kapağan, spouse of Zonguldak Chief Public Prosecutor Gökhan Kapağan; Esra Sümen, spouse of Zonguldak Administrative Court President Mehmet Sümen; Zonguldak Tax Court President Mehmet Fatih Demirsoy and his spouse Dilay Demirsoy; Seran Özölçer, spouse of BEUN Rector Prof. Dr. İsmail Hakkı Özölçer; Capital Markets Board Presidential Advisor Dr. Buket Salkım; CMB Head of Corporate Communications Murat Birinci; members of the provincial protocol, senate members, academic and administrative staff, students, and many art lovers.
At the concert, the unforgettable works of Barış Manço were performed by the Istanbul State Modern Folk Music Ensemble of the General Directorate of Fine Arts of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. With pieces such as “Sarı Çizmeli Mehmet Ağa,” “Aynalı Kemer,” “Alla Beni Pulla Beni,” “Gülpembe,” “Ben Bilirim,” “Halil İbrahim Sofrası,” “Dağlar Dağlar,” “Anlıyorsun Değil mi?”, and “Can Bedenden Çıkmayınca,” the audience experienced moments filled with both emotion and enthusiasm.
Rector Özölçer: “Barış Manço Is Our Powerful Voice Carrying Our Culture from Tradition to the Future”
Making a statement within the scope of the concert, BEUN Rector Prof. Dr. İsmail Hakkı Özölçer stated that they commemorated the great artist with respect, mercy, and gratitude, and expressed the following:
“We commemorate our Contemporary Turkish Minstrel Barış Manço on the 27th anniversary of his passing with love, respect, longing, and mercy. His songs are not merely melodies; they are the voice of Anatolia, the memory of our nation, and the interpreter of our hearts. Commemorating our folk singer, who continues to live on through his songs even after his passing, is both a debt of gratitude for us and a responsibility to announce the cultural richness of our ancient tradition to the entire world. Barış Manço is an artist listened to and embraced by everyone from 7 to 70. He was not only a singer, composer, lyricist, and television presenter, but also a cultural ambassador, a Contemporary Turkish Aşık (Minstrel), and a master who adapted the aşık tradition to the modern world. Remembered by children as ‘Brother Barış,’ he was a precious figure who always took seriously the children who are the future of a nation. Acting upon the principle, ‘One who does not know his past cannot understand his present nor build his future,’ Barış Manço is the voice of our culture extending from tradition to the future. His use of his name at the end of his songs is a clear indication of his closeness to the aşık literature and his commitment to the tradition of pen names. Seeing Turkish culture as a whole, keeping alive within contemporary forms the traditions, customs, and values carried from Central Asia to Anatolia, and incorporating elements of our national culture into his compositions with a unique style of performance, he is among the leading figures of Anatolian Rock Music.”
Rector Prof. Dr. Özölçer also drew attention to the special significance of Barış Manço’s works on the occasion of the declaration of 2025 as the “Year of the Family” by the will of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and expressed the following sentiments:
“Barış Manço’s works strongly reflect the family, togetherness, respect, and bonds of love. On the occasion of 2025 being declared the ‘Year of the Family’ by the will of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, we felt great pride in commemorating Barış Manço—who carried the aşık tradition into the modern world and won the admiration of everyone—under the roof of our university together with our esteemed fellow citizens of Zonguldak and our dear students. This meaningful gathering has also provided us with an opportunity to understand and remember our cultural richness. As Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University, we attach great importance to art, culture, and preserving and transmitting our values to our youth, and we resolutely continue to uphold our ancient cultural heritage through such meaningful events. On this occasion, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all art lovers who attended this meaningful event; to our Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, and the esteemed Ministry of Culture and Tourism family; to the General Directorate of Fine Arts of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism; to the Istanbul State Modern Folk Music Ensemble; to our valuable artists who are with us today; and to everyone who contributed to making this an unforgettable night.”
The Commemoration Concert “The Voice of Anatolia from Tradition to the Future: Barış Manço” continued with the presentation of certificates of appreciation and flowers to the soloists by Buket Kapağan, spouse of Chief Public Prosecutor Gökhan Kapağan; Esra Sümen, spouse of Administrative Court President Mehmet Sümen; Dilay Demirsoy, spouse of Tax Court President Mehmet Fatih Demirsoy; and Seran Özölçer, spouse of BEUN Rector Prof. Dr. İsmail Hakkı Özölçer. The program concluded with a commemorative photo taken in memory of the day.
