Fiba Salon İKSV’s Autumn Programme: Music, Theatre and New Discoveries in Istanbul

English-language indie rock, instrumental jazz, Ukrainian folk and Turkish theatre share the stage this season at Fiba Salon İKSV. For Istanbul’s international community, the programme offers an opportunity to discover visiting artists while getting to know the city’s own musicians.

Based since 2010 in Şişhane’s Nejat Eczacıbaşı Building (formerly Deniz Palas), the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts’ performance venue was renamed Fiba Salon İKSV ahead of its autumn 2026 season, following a partnership with Fiba Group. Its autumn programme brings concerts together with literature, theatre and conversations. Here are some upcoming highlights.

Jazz and electronic sounds

On 22 October, Ferit Odman Quintet opens a route into Istanbul’s jazz scene with instrumental music rooted in hard bop and improvisation.

On 30 October, Headache brings a different atmosphere. Producer Vegyn and writer Francis Hornsby Clark’s project combines downtempo electronics with English spoken word.

Four nights of international discoveries

Early November offers four consecutive nights of international performances.

On 4 November, Grouper, American musician Liz Harris’s solo project, creates an intimate world of layered sound, guitar and predominantly English vocals. Ekin Fil opens at 20:30, with doors at 20:00. The concert is 18+. Read our Grouper concert preview.

On 5 November, The Veils follows with Finn Andrews’s dramatic, English-language indie rock.

Cinema and live music meet on 6 November, when Circuit des Yeux and Alan Sparhawk perform a live score for F. W. Murnau’s 1922 silent classic Nosferatu. This event is 18+.

The Notwist completes the run on 7 November, with a repertoire sung mainly in English.

Discovering the local scene

Ayyuka launches Anason Radyo on 20 November. Its primarily instrumental sound draws on Anatolian influences, funk and afrobeat.

Further dates include:

• 18 November: Ferit Odman with Çağrı Sertel

• 21 November: the Nayah lineup featuring Sattas

• 27 November: a Ferit Odman Quartet jam session

• 28 November: Bedük

Sattas and Bedük both have Turkish and English songs in their repertoires. The wider Nayah lineup brings together several performers, so languages will vary.

Looking ahead to December

On 4 December, DakhaBrakha brings Ukrainian folk traditions, percussion and theatrical performance to Salon. The quartet’s distinctive “ethno-chaos” is sung mainly in Ukrainian, with other languages also appearing across its repertoire.

The following night, Arda Umurhan’s debut album concert takes place on 5 December.

Theatre and conversations in Turkish

Turkish-speaking audiences can join Didem Bayındır’s Edebiyat Salonu on 23 October, when Yiğit Bener and Serra Yılmaz discuss Albert Camus’s The Plague.

The series continues on 27 October, when Sema Kaygusuz and Gülcan Özer turn to Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and on 24 November, when Behçet Çelik and Pelin Esmer discuss Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment.

On 17 November, Mirgün Cabas hosts Hem Evet Hem Hayır with Saadettin Eskiçorapçı. Presented with Neo Skola, the series explores difficult questions from opposing perspectives. Entry is 14+. All of these talks are in Turkish.

Theatre audiences can catch Bora Akkaş in Harika Şeyler Listesi on 19 November or 7 December. Directed by Lerzan Pamir, this Turkish-language production follows a growing list of things that make life worth living.

Planning your visit

• Venue: Fiba Salon İKSV, Sadi Konuralp Caddesi No: 5, Şişhane

• Getting there: M2 metro to Şişhane station, Refik Saydam Caddesi exit

• Tickets: sold through Passo

Limited student allocations include 50% discounts through Fiba Öğrenci and 50 TL Eczacıbaşı Genç Bilet tickets, subject to eligibility and availability. Valid photo student cards from overseas institutions are accepted under the published conditions; identification is also required.

Check individual listings for current times, age restrictions and availability. Readers who need English translation for theatre or talks should confirm arrangements with the venue before booking.

Explore the full programme and book through the official links below.

• Fiba Salon İKSV programme

• All Fiba Salon İKSV tickets on Passo