Music–Performance–Video

Meryem’s Ballad

The Odyssey of a Guest Worker

16 October 2026, 20:00

Karbon

Arter will host the Türkiye premiere of Meryem’s Ballad, first performed at Deutsche Oper Berlin in November 2023. Presented in a revised form, the performance will be staged at Arter for audiences in Istanbul on October 16.

Meryem's Ballad is set in November 1973, during a break in the night shift at a factory in West Germany. As Meryem, a migrant worker from Türkiye, writes a letter home, a familiar melody drifting from the radio accompanies her. Drawing on memories awakened by this melody, Meryem constructs a narrative in which past, present and future intertwine.

Bringing together spoken word, video and original music performed by a live orchestra, Meryem's Ballad invites audiences to reconsider the themes of migration, labour and solidarity through the perspective of a migrant woman.

Language: Turkish, German with English & Turkish surtitles

Ensemble
Sevda Hamzaçebi (voice)
Cem Dinler (keys, synthesiser)
Serkan Emre Çiftçi (trumpet)
Korhan Erel (electronics)
Penelope Gkika (violin)
Philine Metzger (viola)
Emilia Lomakova (cello)

Concept and Text: Sevda Hamzaçebi / babelfis
Musical Direction: Cem Dinler / babelfis
Music: babelfis
Video: Mert Akbal
Direction: Seçil Honeywill
Sound: Bora Küçükyılmaz
Lighting Design: Utku Kara
Research: Sevda Hamzaçebi, Selen Müldür
Photography and Trailer: Arda Funda
Graphic Design: Suat Can Beldek
Production: babelfis

Credits

Support
The performance was first presented in November 2023 as part of Musicboard Berlin's Hinterhalt Commission, in cooperation with Deutsche Oper Berlin and with additional support from Stiftung Menschenwürde und Arbeitswelt.

The Istanbul premiere was made possible with the cooperation of Arter and the support of the Goethe-Institut and Musicboard Berlin.

Special thanks
Ali Kemal Gün, Beate Riple, Dieter Braeg, Edith Marcello, Elif Miral-Oktay, Gerhard Grosche, Görkem Akgöz, Gülçin Şahin, Hıdır Çelik, Irma Wittenberg, Joachim Gester, Laura Bielau, Pieter Verstraete, DOMiD – Dokumentationszentrum und Museum über die Migration in Deutschland e.V., FHXB Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg Museum, Michael Schmidt Archive.

General: 800 TL
Discounted: 600 TL*

*Discounted admission only applies to participants under 24 and over 65 years of age.

Tickets are available for purchase at Arter's Info & Ticket Desk, Biletix and Mobilet.

Ticket sales terms & conditions

• No service fee is added to tickets purchased from Arter's Info & Ticket Desk.

• Tickets at varying discount rates for Arter Together members are solely accessible for purchase at Arter's Info & Ticket Desk.

• The event is suitable for participants aged 18 and over. Audience members under the age of 18 may attend if accompanied by a parent or guardian.

• No audio or video recordings will be permitted at the event.

• Discounted ticket holders are required to present a valid ID.

• Refunds will be made only if the event is postponed or cancelled.

For inquiries, please send an e-mail to biletler@arter.org.tr or call +90 212 708 58 01.

Tickets