So, 2026 is here (could it be any other way?), and with it, many things have arrived quickly. I don’t want to be a pessimist, but the initial signs don’t appear positive. What wars, what upheavals, what dangerous situations are unfolding, although – to be honest – some of what’s happening might even evolve positively (see Iran).

And where does music stand in all of this? Music probably narrates stories and highlights situations. I haven’t read anything these days about the soundtrack to all these changes/shifts/upheavals, but it must exist. For instance, these days I’m thinking about a young woman who came to my office about ten years ago when I was living in Istanbul because, as she told me, she wanted to attend the school where I worked and study music. When I asked her why she decided to come to Istanbul to study music, she told me that “I want to study opera, but in my country, such a thing is not allowed.” Of course, my immediate (I hope not rude) question was “but where are you from?” to which I received the answer that she was from Iran, and there, women are forbidden to sing in public. This made such a strong impression on me because I hadn’t imagined that such a thing was true, and that there was no opera in Iran when in so many other countries with similar characteristics (as I thought, that is…) there are operas where women also perform. Alas, however! Opera ended with the Islamic revolution, and there are only a few classical music concerts held in Iran, but certainly no opera.

Ultimately, I don’t know what happened to the young woman, even though I stayed in Istanbul for another two years and was on all the admission committees for new students. What is certain is that she didn’t come to us to study. I hope she did, though. I also hope that during these difficult days, she is safe and sees a glimmer of freedom in what is happening, despite the reactions of the obscurantist regime that has seized control and plunged a great country into the medieval abyss of religious terrorism. I hope that one of the first things to happen, if and when there is a clear overthrow of this despotic regime, will be a concert featuring Beethoven’s 9^th Symphony, the work which, in my opinion, promotes freedom and brotherhood beyond any national and religious confines.