D-Marine is a marina on the cost of the Turkish Aegean Sea. It hosts yachts from the region and welcomes guests from all over the world who come here to discover Turkgutreis, Bodrum and surrounding cities and villages as well as the Greek islands, like Kos which can be reached from Turgutreis by ferry in just 45 minutes. In particular in the months of July and August this region becomes a popular destination for tourist from Turkey and Europe. This is also the time when the D-Marine International Festival of Classical Music, located in Turgutreis, opens its doors. The international festival set up by the Doğuş Group is a classical music festival. Since 6 years, it has been aiming at bringing classical music to the yachtsmen, people living in Bodrum, Turgutreis and cities around, and of course tourists. Its core mission is to invite renowned orchestras and musicians to the festival and at the same time to offer a stepping stone for young Turkish artists Kathrin Deventer, Secretary General of the European Festivals Association (EFA), visited the festival at the occasion of the opening of its 6th edition on 19 July. The programme included the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with conductor Grzegorz Nowak and soloist İdil Biret (piano); it was followed by a night concert under the motto “A Night for Friends” which gave the floor to young emerging artists from Turkey invited by renowned Turkish pianist and composer Fazil Say. More than 4000 people enjoyed the performance. Yücel Canyaran, the festival’s artistic programmer for the third time, arts director (currently at the Caddebostan Cultural Center), artist and music graduate based in Istanbul, underlines the challenge of the young festival in the touristic heart of the Aegean Sea: “Dedicating the season to Chopin and Schumann means introducing Romanticism and its creators to the public of the region.” Next to this core artistic mission, it is part of a cultural tourism strategy set up by the Doğuş Group: “Maritime Tourism has made a major stride in the second half of the twentieth century in developed coastal states and the Mediterranean in particular. We have made investments in our marina as we believe that the human and yacht traffic that was generated led to the development of a society geared towards tourism,” underlines corporate communications manager Deniz Bayel Feyizoglu. Rengim Gökman, artist, General Director of Turkish State Opera and Ballet and Founder of the Aspendos International Opera & Ballet Festival in Ankara – where the European Festivals Association (EFA) gathered in 2008 for its annual General Assembly and Conference – opened the festival confirming the support of its activities. Gökman is a key actor of the Turkish festival scene. Next to these engagements he just set up the first edition of the first International Istanbul Opera Festival, a four-week festival with eight new opera productions staged in historical sites of Istanbul. “Being a member of EFA for us means being part of and contributing to the internationalisation of our culture and arts in general. Through this festival, we want to enhance the interest in classical music and international orchestras,” stresses Gökman. Next to the D-Marine Turgutreis International Festival of Classical Music and the Aspendos International Opera & Ballet Festival EFA counts the International Ankara Music Festival, the International Bursa Festival, the Istanbul International Music Festival, the International Izmir Festival, the Mersin International Music Festival and the Side International Culture and Art Festival as its members from Turkey. Next to members from Spain, the Turkish festivals form the biggest group of EFA members from one country. A remarkable fact, underlining the strong willingness of international cooperation and networking with festivals all over Europe. Kathrin Deventer, EFA Secretary General Turgutreis, 20 July 2010