Autism Mothers Choir received a standing ovation

Established by volunteer conductor Dr. Aysel Gürel in Bursa, the ‘Autism Mothers Choir’ consisting of mothers of autistic children gave their third concert at the Tayyare Cultural Center. The choir, which is a first in Turkey, consists of 23 mothers. The Autism Mothers Choir, which is a first in Turkey and consists of mothers of autistic children, received great interest from art enthusiasts. The concert, organized to raise awareness and make the voice of autism heard, took place at the Tayyare Cultural Center. The choir of 23 mothers showed their success in the field of art with their performance. Volunteer conductor Dr. Aysel Gürel, who stated that the Autism Mothers Choir was established upon a mother’s wish for ‘I wish we had our own choir,’ said, ‘There is no such choir in Turkey, but I thought why not establish the first one. In 2022, we established our choir consisting of mothers of autistic children, and I started as a volunteer conductor. We started with 27 people, and now we are 23. All mothers have autistic children, and they are stepping on stage and singing for the first time. Our goal is to raise awareness about autism in Turkey. Children also join our work. We sing our songs together. We especially sing enjoyable songs. Because after 2 hours of practice, families said we spend the week very well. Their problems are very big. With the concerts we organize, we try to voice their problems. I believe everyone should be sensitive about this. We gave our first concert in Bursa. We also gave the second concert in Balıkesir. Today, we are holding our third concert at the Tayyare Cultural Center.’ Gürel, stating that they want to set an example for Turkey, said, ‘There is no such example in the world. There is a choir consisting of autistic children, but there is no choir made up of mothers. Hopefully, we are contributing to the establishment of such choirs in other cities. Some of them have been abandoned by their spouses who could not accept their children. They are dealing with it alone and standing strong. I have great respect for them. I am very proud to be their volunteer conductor. I believe that everyone should hear their voice. The repertoire includes both Turkish Classical Music and Turkish Folk Music. I allowed mothers to sing whatever song or ballad they wanted. As long as you sing, however you sing. They are all very excited and sing very successfully. I don’t want to include many sad songs. Because their lives are already very sad. I want it to be a pleasant concert. Both mothers and the audience should enjoy. I especially create a repertoire consisting of enjoyable songs.’ The performances of the 23 mothers who stepped on stage for the first time and sang for the first time received great applause. At the end of the concert, with the invitation of the choir conductor, protocol participants, autistic children, and their families were invited to the stage. The lyrics ‘In this world, love is a great need, everyone needs to love and be loved’ in the song ‘Mavi Boncuk’ sung together emphasized the need for love, especially for autistic children. The concert, where emotional moments were experienced, ended with the enthusiastic applause of the audience.