The concert “Broadway Express – A Journey Through Time in Musicals”, organised by the Ankara State Conservatoire of Hacettepe University, was staged on 18 May 2026 at the Ankara State Conservatoire Concert Hall.
The concert, staged as part of the Ankara State Conservatoire’s 90th-anniversary celebrations, was attended by our university’s Rector, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Cahit Güran, Vice-Rectors, university administrators, academic and administrative staff, students, and a large number of art enthusiasts. The event, which attracted more attendees than the hall’s capacity, was met with great enthusiasm by the audience.
The production, staged by Dr Gözde Gürün Demireriden, was coordinated by Assoc. Prof. Dr Tolga Yüksel, Deputy Director of the Ankara State Conservatoire. The musical direction of the production was handled by Dr. Gözde Gürün Demireriden, the choreography by Research Assistant Beste Erdem, and the conducting by Kutay Maktay, a musician with the Presidential Symphony Orchestra.
A massive 105-strong cast
The concert brought together a 105-strong cast comprising students, alumni, teaching staff and guest artists from the Ankara State Conservatoire on the same stage. Notable for its large cast and interdisciplinary structure, ‘Broadway Express’ presented the audience with a colourful selection from different eras of musical theatre through its vocal performances, dance choreography, live orchestra, costumes, make-up, lighting and stage design. The programme featured selections from musicals such as *Something Rotten*, *Anything Goes*, *Cabaret*, *Sweet Charity*, *Fiddler on the Roof*, *Sweeney Todd*, *Grease*, *The Phantom of the Opera*, *Jekyll & Hyde*, *La La Land*, *Hamilton*, *Matilda*, *Aladdin* and *The Addams Family*.
Prepared with the contributions of participants from different departments and artistic disciplines of the Conservatory, the event was regarded as a strong example of artistic education meeting stage practice. At the end of the concert, the artists, production team, and technical crew were applauded for a long time by the audience filling the hall.
