FALL 2012
A BILINGUAL MEVLID:
Süleyman Çelebi’s masterpiece in Greek and Turkish
Recognized as a classic of Turkish literature, Vesilet’ün Necat, or more commonly known as Mevlid-i Şerif is a long poem commemorating the birth of the Prophet Muhammed written in Turkish in 1409 by Süleyman Çelebi (1351-1422) in Bursa. It is often chanted on special occasions such as the birth of a child or as a commemoration of the dead. Musically, mevlid is a solo form, improvised and unaccompanied, usually performed in conjunction with Koranic chant and informal group singing of devotional songs (ilahi). The mevlid was translated into other languages of the Ottoman Empire, especially in the Balkans where the translations became just as popular. Tonight after a talk on the topic one section (bahir) of the mevlid will be chanted in Greek and another section will be chanted in Turkish. Before and in between the sections DÜNYA musicians will perform Sufi devotional songs in both languages.
Location: Harvard University, Barker Center, 12 Quincy St. Cambridge, MA
Date/Time: Wednesday, September 19, 6pm
Price of admission: FREE
Songs of the Fertile Crescent
DÜNYA will perform traditional Turkish music and Ottoman classical music portraying women following the world premiere of a suite of arias from the new opera Territories. The concert will be followed by an onstage discussion. The event is part of the five-month festival The Fertile Crescent: Gender, Art, and Society, a program of the Institute for Women and Art at Rutgers in partnership with the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton University, the Arts Councils of Princeton and West Windsor, and the East Brunswick, New Brunswick, and Princeton Public Libraries.
Location: Princeton University, Wolfensohn Hall, Institute for Advanced Study, 1 Einstein Dr. Princeton, NJ
Date/Time: Thursday, November 1, 8pm
Price of admission: FREE
Mehter, Zildjian and the American Big Band
At this lecture-performance Dr. Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol (author of The Musician Mehters) will first talk about the Mehter ensemble (the so-called Ottoman Janissary Bands), Zildjian family, the role of cymbals in mehter music, connections between mehter music and jazz, and new compositions for hybrid mehter/jazz bands. The talk will be followed by a live music portion. During the live music portion traditional mehter music and an original composition for a hybrid band, featuring mehter instruments as well as typical instruments of the jazz band, will be performed.
Location: New England Conservatory, Williams Hall, 290 Huntington Ave. Boston, MA
Date/Time: Tuesday, November 27, 4pm
Price of admission: FREE
SPRING 2012
A Concert for Turkish Earthquake Relief
DÜNYA performs Ottoman court, Sufi and entertainment music. Followed by reception with Turkish refreshments. All proceeds to benefit relief efforts.
Location: Brandeis University, Slosberg Recital Hall
Date/Time: Saturday, January 28, 8pm
Pre-concert talk at 7pm
Price of admission: General: $10, Students: $5
İki Cihan Arasında / Between Two Worlds: Turkey’s West Within
program photos
Folk, classical, religious and popular music of the Ottoman/Turkish tradition, interwoven with classical Ottoman music newly transcribed from 19th century Greek sources, early European music and newly-composed polyphonic makam compositions.
Location: Boston College, Gasson Hall, Room 100
Date/Time: Thursday, February 23, 8pm
Location: Tufts University, Distler Hall
Date/Time: Friday, February 24, 8pm
Location: Bates College, Chapel
Date/Time: Monday, February 27, 7:30pm
Location: New England Conservatory, Jordan Hall
Date/Time: Wednesday, February 29, 8pm
DÜNYA Contemporary Jazz Concert Series
Join us on these special nights where musicians from the DÜNYA collective will perform Jazz and original music by Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol fusing makam (Middle Eastern modal concepts) and Jazz.
Location: AIC Cultural Center, 38 Newbury St. Suite 702 (7th Floor)
Date(s)/Time:
Saturday, March 3, 8:30pm
Saturday, March 24, 8:30pm
ALEXANDER THE GREAT: Hero, Warrior and Lover
In collaboration with The Boston Camerata
Alexander’s deeds, both real and legendary, inspired bardic poetry and song in pre-Christian, Christian, Jewish and Muslim societies alike. The second of DÜNYA’s east-west collaborations with The Boston Camerata brings together these diverse traditions in a performance of old and new music and improvisations based on sources from classical antiquity, from medieval Europe and from West Asia.
| Location: | Christ Church Cathedral, 690 Burrard at West Georgia, downtown Vancouver |
| Date/Time: | Friday, April 20, 8pm |
| Location: | Seattle, Town Hall |
| Date/Time: | Friday, April 21, 7pm |
SPECIAL EVENT
Musicians from the DÜNYA collective will debut Palindrome, an original jazz composition by Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol with Turkish classical music influences, with an open-to-the-public performance on May 19th. After almost a decade, along withPalindrome, Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol will have his original compositions scored for a jazz combo of 6 horns, rhythm section and Turkish music instruments performed again.
Location: AIC Cultural Center, 38 Newbury St. Suite 702 (7th Floor)
Date/Time: Saturday, May 19
Wine and Cheese Reception at 7:00pm
Pre-Concert Talk at 7:30pm
Concert at 8:00pm
Price of admission: General: $15, Students/seniors: $10