Lâmekân Ensemble is a classical Ottoman music collective founded in 2011 and directed by Tristan Driessens. Their first album Gülzar-ı Vefâ – Music of the Ottoman Court was released in Istanbul and retained the attention of both Eastern and Western audiences. The ensemble has since been playing concerts at major venues and festivals: BOZAR (Brussels), Salle Poirel (Nancy), Concertgebouw (Bruges), International Mugham Festival (Baku, Azerbaijan), Mogham Forum (Shahrizabs, Uzbekistan), Albert Long Hall (Istanbul) and Philharmonie de Liège. They regularly collaborate with some of the most prominent exponents of classical Ottoman music, most notably Kudsi Erguner, Derya Türkan, Bora Uymaz, Necati Çelik, Murat Aydemir and Burcu Karadag. With a six piece core of musicians from both Turkey and Europe, Lâmekân Ensemble significantly contributes to the rediscovery of the Ottoman musical heritage spanning from the 15th until the 20th Century.
In 2017, they released their second and third albums The Book of Lovers (Cypres Records) and Seyir Trio (Seyir Muzik), the latter of which was received with widespread critical acclaim.
“Without place”, this name, given to an ensemble formed by musicians coming from diverse horizons, is very significant. Lâmekân Ensemble in an initiative which eloquently proves that true musical passion rises beyond all cultural, religious, and geographical borders. (Kudsi Erguner)