Event

Global Rhythms: Turkish Music Ensemble

Drawing its repertoire from the vivid and evocative film music of the Golden Age of Turkish cinema, the Turkish Music Ensemble gives its debut performance. The six-member group has created a unique program featuring the glorious music and songs written for film musicals and dramas produced in Istanbul in the 1930s-'60s. Enormously popular in their day, these compositions have become part of Turkey's cultural heritage and are a blending of many influences, including Ottoman, Middle Eastern, and European musical traditions. Under the direction of its founder, Munir Nurretin Beken, one of Turkey's most well-known ud players and composers, the virtuosic ensemble also showcases the skills of Ali Jihad Racy, master of the ney and bazouki, and Ahmet Erdogdular, one of Turkey's foremost vocalists. In a unique segment of the concert highlighting the historic relationship between the music of Egypt and Turkey, Beken and Racy perform a duet with composed and improvised music. A pre-concert talk with Beken begins at 7:20. Presented by Town Hall with the Turkish American Cultural Association and the World Affairs Council.