İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and world-renown pianist and composer Fazıl Say presented the “100th Anniversary Anthem” to the Turkish people for the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Republic. This anthem had its world premiere. Thousands of İzmir residents who wanted to witness the historical night could not fit into the Ahmed Adnan Saygun Art Center (AASSM).
The architect of the project, Mayor Tunç Soyer, stated that the anthem is the forerunner of the second century.He said “ After that, We will proudly sing the 100th Anniversary Anthem”.
Fazıl Say who is very happy and proud of the great interest, said “ The 100th Anniversary Anthem not only celebrates the 100th anniversary, but also embraces the next generations.”
İzmir Metropolitan Municipality presented an unforgetable gift to the Turkish people in remembrance  of the 100th anniversary , foundation of the Republic. The 100th Anniversary March, composed by the world-renown pianist Fazıl Say, was performed for the first time on April 23, National Sovereignty and Children's Day, at the Ahmed Adnan Saygun Art Center (AASSM) and made its world premiere. İzmir Metropolitan Mayor Tunç Soyer and his wife Neptün Soyer, CHP İzmir Provincial Chairman Şenol Aslanoğlu and his wife Duygu Aslanoğlu, CHP İzmir Deputies,the candidates of Nation Alliance,the Vice President of İzmir Metropolitian Municipality Mustafa Özuslu, the municipal bureaucrats, the representatives of political parties,academicians,artists, the business world and hundreds of citizens attended the concert.
And the 100th Anniversary Anthem is on stage
Under the leadership of Fazıl Say, a giant team of 230 people sang the 100th Anniversary Anthem to the whole world for the first time, on the night when the artist Engin Hepileri made his presentation. Citizens who listens the anthem on the screens ,set up in the AASSM Great Hall and outside the hall, applauded Fazıl Say and the chorus for several minutes. Say and the chorus performed the piece three times at the request of the audience. After the anthem, the famous artist Serenad Bağcan gave a concert with Fazıl Say.
“We are entering the second century with very good news”
Mayor Tunç Soyer, who took the stage after the anthem was vocalized, complimented Fazıl Say and the entire orchestra. Mayor Soyer said , “How lucky we are, İzmir. We are so lucky and proud.  This anthem is actually the forerunner of the second century. We are entering the second century of the Republic with such good news. None of us deserve today's Turkey. And a better Turkey is possible. Fazil is an incredible person. I always say, we need reason, conscience, and courage as we enter the second century. And besides all this, he has an extraordinary talent. That's why this anthem emerged. On behalf of all of İzmir, I would like to express my gratitude. You gave us one of the best gifts of our lives. We have grown and lived by singing the 10th Anniversary of the Republic for decades. Now there is the 100th Anniversary Anthem. From now on, we will proudly sing the 100th Anniversary Anthem all over Turkey."
We must say, “Give your hand “
Fazıl Say, who describes the story of the historical anthem, clarified, “Thank you very much for your great interest. Here is the Ahmed Adnan Saygun Art Center. This is the nicest salon in Turkey. This place has been converted into a world class lounge with great care and energy.I was touched, when Tunç Soyer came to me with this offer. I said, 'You are asking me for something so significant that if I do something that makes me feel good, then I will meet you'. Because the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Turkey is so worthy for me. The second century is also very valuable. I determined myself some criteria for the 100th anniversary anthem. I think, the poet of the 100th Anniversary Anthem should have been a woman. Because I want it to represent gender equality. Our orchestra here consists of men and women. It is very crucial to decide which ideology the poem I choose will represent. Our poet Ayten Mutlu says 'to many many more centuries'. She is not only celebrating the centennial, but also embracing the next century. "The blue lightning of the sky is in my ( founding ) Father's eyes," she says. Atatürk is in our hearts, He is the founder of the Turkish Republic and symbolizes everything. We thought that representing our ancestor's eyes as lightning would symbolize everything. The words "Give your hand" were at the end of the poem. I attached it at the beginning of the poem with her permission. There is a reason for this. We must say, “ Give your hand both to the world and to all the others in our own society.
Ayten Mutlu's verses were immortalized
While Ayten Mutlu penned the poem "Give Your Hand" , Fazıl Say composed the song, Can Okan conducted the orchestra, and İlhan Akyunak conducted the chorus. Ahmed Adnan Saygun Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and Young Chorus (The Chorus of Işılay Saygın Fine Arts- High School ) sang the anthem. In the words of the anthem, there are  impressive sentences to look to the future with hope such as "Give,give, your hand","The blue lightning of the sky is in my ( founding ) Father's eyes," “Many more 100th Anniversary”.
Great excitement at AASSM
People of İzmir, who wanted to listen to the anthem performed on April 23, National Sovereignty and Children's Day, formed long queues in front of AASSM for hours on end. While AASSM's Great Hall was completely crowded , LED screens were put in the garden and the excitement in the hall reflected outside. The 100th Anniversary Anthem was broadcasted on Halk TV, İzmirTube and İzmir Metropolitan Municipality's social media accounts.
A very worthy gift for all of Turkey
Citizens who came to the Ahmed Adnan Saygun Art Center to listen to the 100th Anniversary Anthem remarked :
Ayfer Erbil : “Today we celebrate April 23. We are on the way to Atatürk. It will be a great honour for us to watch Fazıl Say. We waited almost an hour, but it was worth it. We are here with great honour. We all had our cards. We will sing the 100th Anniversary Anthem together.”
Melike Kayacık : “I'm so happy, so excited. I would like to thank Fazıl Say and everyone who crowned  such a nice day like this. It is significant to perform this concert, especially for the 100th anniversary not only for İzmir but also for all Turkish people.
Elsa Kahraman : “I am so sentimental, I am so happy. I've always been waiting for this moment. Today we will listen to the 100th Anniversary Anthem for the first time. We are happy and proud.”
Ayşegül Yeşildağ :  “ We are so happy, we hope it goes very well. The ambience here is very nice. Fazıl Say is a worthy artist. This event organized by the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality is very precious. We are so happy.”