'Cheerful' women open up to world with their songs

Formed just three years ago, the Allegra Ensemble, a music band made up of eight women, has attracted praise, performing concerts in various languages in Turkey and around the worldThe Allegra Ensemble opera, founded by eight women in Ankara, has brought together classical and popular music in a multi-lingual collaboration that has enchanted audiences in Turkey and around the world. 

The artists, who came together nearly three years ago, aim to show the universality of music. 

The founding member of the ensemble, Ümmiye Ozdem said the Italian word "Allegra" meant "cheerful." She said they wanted to make music cheerfully and wanted to show it to audiences. 

"We are eight women in the ensemble. All of us are professionals and graduates from the conservatory. We are artists from the Ankara State Opera and Ba?kent Orchestra," she said. 

Özdem said their social relations with each other were very good. "We have been working together for a long time. We are very good friends. Actually, this was the point where we started. Considering that we could do something good, we founded our band three years ago."

"We perform world music as well as our folk songs in various languages. Also, we perform French, German, Italian and Balkan songs. Our goal is to show that music has no language and show it especially with female musicians. We want to highlight the power of women, in a sense." 

Özdem said they had performed 20 concerts in Turkey and abroad and made television programs. "We have made two instrumental CDs. We hope that this year we will make a third CD with a new concept," Özdem said. 

She said they had received very positive reactions from their environment. 

"People know and love us. In the...