ICTM Talk #4 : Duygu Alkan - Music from Anatolia (Kurdish and Turkish)

In a friendly atmosphere, seated around the tables in the foyer (bar) of the Théâtre Molière, the ICTM Talks are a cycle of lessons on six different musical traditions and the culture from which they come.

Each of the six sessions will be devoted to a different style of music, the repertoire and the territory associated with it, and presented by specialists from the world of the arts, academia or enthusiasts of the style of music in question.

For this session, Duygu Alkan will provide an introduction to Turkish and Kurdish musical traditions in Turkey. The public will first become familiar with their sounds and concepts to then discover their history and contexts of representation. The melodic and rhythmic frameworks will be discussed, as well as the main instruments concerned such as the baglama, the oud and the kanun. The second part of the session will focus on the stylistic elements: the different types of singing, the art of improvisation and the ornaments, which constitute an essential aspect of these traditions. Turkish singer, songwriter and composer, Duygu Alkan is based in the Netherlands. A graduate of the Turkish Music Conservatory in Ege and the Codarts Conservatory in Rotterdam, she has performed across Europe and the Middle East. She has received several awards including Best Solo Performance from the Turkish Ministry of Culture.