Turkish National Youth Philharmonic Orchestra

The Turkish National Youth Philharmonic Orchestra (TUGFO), established by Sabancı Foundation, is led by Conductor Cem Mansur and consists of young musical talents handpicked from the leading schools of music in Turkey. As the main sponsor, the Foundation has been supporting the orchestra since 2009 and maintained the support in 2022. In 2019, TUGFO joined the Istanbul Philharmonic Society.

The orchestra recruits nearly a hundred young musicians every year. In 2022, the orchestra gave seven performances. Consisting of young musicians who succeeded in the auditions in conservatories in various cities of Turkey, TUGFO performed for classical music enthusiasts with a distinguished repertoire.

The performance tour set off at Bursa Uludağ University on August 5, followed by Istanbul İş Sanat Cultural Center on August 8, and Ankara CSO Concert Hall on August 9. The European leg of the tour included Prague on August 12 and Altenburg, Dresden, and Berlin in Germany on August 13, 14, and 16, respectively. The performance at the Business, Art, and Cultural Center incorporated live audio description in cooperation with Accessible Everything, an initiative selected for Sabancı Foundation's Changemakers Program. Audio description continuously described the physical details of the performance hall and visual clues as to the orchestra and the instruments simultaneously throughout the performance. Conductor Cem Mansur contributed to the activity by describing himself on the stage. The event was an innovative step towards equal access to art by the blind and the visually impaired.