In 2018, the Istanbul Music Festival has initiated the Women Stars of Tomorrow project in collaboration with the Industrial Development Bank of Turkey (TSKB), to support young women musicians from Turkey.

The project that set forth to assist young women musicians in their careers, helps raise the Young Women Musicians Support Fund, with sponsorship from TSKB and contributions of the festival audience. The artists, chosen from among the applicants by the Selection Committee, can make use of the fund by the amount of their educational needs. A special concert that takes place in the Istanbul Music Festival also allows the musicians to perform for the festival audience.

Women Stars of Tomorrow: Young Women Musicians Support Fund is open for applications from women musicians who study in the instrument, voice or conductorship branches of classical music, and who holds admission to undergraduate or graduate degrees abroad, who are in need of support to participate in events that will shape their career such as master classes, orchestra auditions or international competitions, or in need of an instrument.

The applications are assessed by the Selection Committee that comprises Istanbul Music Festival Director Efruz Çakırkaya as the head, violinist and conductor Hakan Şensoy, pianist İris Şentürker, harpist İpek Mine Sonakın, and violinist Nilay Sancar.

The application period for the 7th year of the project is 22 January – 15 March 2023. The total amount collected in the fund will be divided between musicians to be determined by the Selection Committee, in consideration of the musicians’ needs. The musicians who will benefit from the fund will perform for the festival audience at the Women Stars of Tomorrow concert.

The supporter of the Istanbul Music Festival since 1990, TSKB supports the Women Stars of Tomorrow as the education sponsor of the project, in the scope of its civic involvement projects that target women’s empowerment.