The place of state orchestras in music cultures of Turkey: The example of İstanbul State Symphony Orchestra

Cultural and artistic consumption is being increased by large masses all around the world day by day. For this reason, a great many cultural institutions aim to carry on their studies in the best way. Many music genres have become widespread in Turkey by the help of private enterprises. Hence, music is the part of both artistic and commercial fields.Today state orchestras, which were established without any commercial concern, play a crucial role both economically and politically. Orchestras are one of the excellent examples of cultural service. They are the cultural institutions whose authority for the society increases in the narrowing world. The studies of these institutions are directly proportional with the cultural policies implemented by governments. Meanwhile, they are the cultural representations of the economic potential.In this study, the structure of Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra was analyzed in terms of culture. For the research, the rehearsals of the orchestra were observed regularly during the concert season, and recorded interviews with 46 orchestra members were conducted. Data was collected basing upon the conditions under which orchestra studies were carried out, the values of the institution, and the target group that were aimed to reach, and analyzed. In the study, the history of the orchestra, its structure, administration, working conditions, and the relations with the other cultural institutions were analyzed associating to the terms government-bureaucracy and cultural service.