Ahmed Adnan Saygun Sanat Merkezi

About Ahmed Adnan Saygun Sanat Merkezi

The Ahmed Adnan Saygun Arts Centre, known locally as AASSM, is İzmir's main concert hall and one of the city's busiest arts venues. Built by İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and named after the İzmir-born composer Ahmed Adnan Saygun, the first State Artist of the Turkish Republic, it opened on 27 December 2008 after an architectural competition launched in 2000. The architect Tevfik Tozkoparan turned a former trolleybus garage and maintenance workshop on Mithatpaşa Caddesi in Güzelyalı into a multi-purpose arts complex of about 30,000 square metres. Inside are a Great Hall of roughly 1,100 seats, including the choir section, a Small Hall of 243 seats, five exhibition galleries, foyers, meeting rooms, outdoor event space and, since 2022, a music library in the garden. The acoustics of both halls were designed with the consultancy of Arup, the firm behind the Sydney Opera House and the Royal Opera House in London. What you can see here - Weekly concerts by the İzmir State Symphony Orchestra - Performances by İzmir State Opera and Ballet and the municipality's own orchestra and choirs - Events of the İKSEV İzmir European Jazz Festival and the International İzmir Festival - Free exhibitions in the galleries, plus talks, competitions and film screenings Tickets for municipal events are sold through the Kültür Sanat ticket system of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, and the box office is on +90 232 293 38 31. The centre is easy to reach by public transport: the Konak tram has its own Ahmed Adnan Saygun Sanat Merkezi stop, Fahrettin Altay metro station is about 800 metres away, and Göztepe ferry pier is about 900 metres on foot.