"A story of the city, Constantinople, Istanbul" is an original music project which is realized by taking into consideration basic criteria prescribed by the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Agency. Under the concept of "Music: The witness of history” the theme of the project is about the cross-cultural interactions among civilizations and turning points which Istanbul faced with European civilizations and their impact on today's Istanbul.

Served as a capital to the two great civilizations on a world scale, two great empires; a metropolis of two major religions at the point where two continents, Asia and Europe are connected, Istanbul has undergone through many political, cultural and social changes. These changes are reflected in the original music which was mainly composed of the court music, military music, ethnic music, religious music, and the Arab-themed music which came to the city with immigrants from Anatolia. All these music al currents will be presented to the audience in a chronological integrity and original sound within this project.
 

Head of the Musicology-Music History Department at America's first Conservatory, world-famous New England Conservatory and; the founder and Chairman of the "Intercultural Institute" Prof. Dr. Robert Labaree regained the Middle Eastern harp called "Cheng” which Ottoman-Turkish music tradition has lost about 350 years ago. Prof. Labaree modified and improved the instrument by using “kanun” latches, thus it gets to fit to the current performance standards of Turkish music. Audience will get to chance to see the instrument “cheng” and enjoy the “cheng” performance by Labaree in this event.

Outstanding musicologists and musicians of America are preparing for the project "A story of the city, Constantinople, Istanbul"  project in Boston. The event will be held at Harbiye Cemiltopuzlu Outdoor Stage on 18 June 2010. Solution partners are Deniz Özsezen (Project Owner) and Ülkem Özsezen (Project Coordinator) in Turkey; Dr. Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol (Music Director of the Project) the Dünya Organization (Boston) Prof. Dr. Robert Labaree, Prof. Thomas Zajac and Nektarios Antoniou in America. The event will feature Schola Cantorum, Ensemble Trinitas, and 35 artists from Ince Saz-Fasil- Anatolian Folk and arabesque troops.

The music director of the event, composer/ Multi Instrumentalist /musicologist/vocalist Dr. Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol completed his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Composition at the New England Conservatory and founded the organization 'Dunya' based in Boston, Massachusetts.

Mr. Sanlikol has performed and toured with AudioFact, and Jazz stars such as Tiger Okoshi and Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez at numerous prestigious International Music Festivals, the Blue Note Jazz club in New York, Ryles Jazz club in Boston and etc. Recently, he is writing a book about the organization and the music of the Ottoman Janissary Bands.


Solution partner to the project, the DÜNYA Organization is a non-profit educational organization located in Boston, USA. DÜNYA seeks to work with a wide range of cultural and religious organizations and musical groups but relies on no particular political, governmental or religious affiliation or support of any kind. Its goal is to present a contemporary view of a wide range of Turkish traditions, alone and in interaction with other world traditions, through performance, publication and other educational activities.

The organization has realized 6 CD productions: Come See What Love Has Done to Me, Psalms of Ali Ufki, Music of Cyprus, The Tulip and the Sword, Language of the Birds, For You the World for Us the Roses; and a DVD production called “Wisdom and Turkish Humor”.

Another solution partner Nektarios Antoniou is competent in Byzantine music and the maestro of the Hellenic College Schola Cantorum - the Byzantine Music Working Group. The artist goes on his post-graduate studies at Theology and Arts at Yale University. Within the project he has performed an extraordinary study in representation of the Byzantine era.

Another solution partner to the project Prof. Dr. Thomas Zajac is the chief of Ensemble Trinitas; and he performed 14th-century music at the 5th Millennium Council event in the Clinton White House with his own group Ex Umbris. In December 2002 he played “serpent” –an instrument which is quite difficult to play- in a PDQ Bach concert at Lincoln Center and the new Kimmel Center in Philadelphia.

Ney artists Ercan Irmak who also takes place in the event, performed numerous works of famous composers with orchestras such as Presidential Symphony Orchestra, the Tekfen Philharmonic Orchestra, London Mozart Players Orchestra, Bursa State Symphony Orchestra, the Çukurova State Symphony Orchestra, the CRR Symphony Orchestra. Sometimes he accompanied famous artists like Güher- Süher Pekinel sisters and sometimes performed as soloist with his nay like in “A Symphony of the Three Seas” in Brussels, Paris and Berlin.

Tickets can be obtained from Biletix.

Photography by John Weston