The ICTM Talks are a series of workshops about 6 different musical traditions. During ICTM Talk #4 we are introduced to the Turkish and Kurdish music traditions of Turkey.

We discover the sounds and concepts of traditional Turkish and Kurdish music: rhythm, scales, melodies, form and main genres. Then we take a closer look at the history, the contexts of performances and how these repertoires are similar to those of the surrounding countries and how they differ. The melodic and rhythmic structures are discussed, as well as the main instruments used such as the baglama, the oud and the kanun.

In the second half of the session we focus on stylistic elements: the different types of singing, the art of improvisation and the ornamentation, which are an essential aspect of these traditions.

Duygu Alkan is a Turkish singer based in the Netherlands who performs Anatolian and Ottoman musical styles. She graduated from the Ege State Conservatory of Turkish Music (2017) and the Codarts Rotterdam Conservatory (2019) and has performed throughout Europe and the Middle East. Last year she released her EP My Garden’s Perennials with Turkish masters such as Coskun Karademir, Cenk Erdogan and Derya Turkan. In 2013, she received three awards for best solo performance from the Turkish Ministry of Culture.

ICTM TALKS AGENDA 22-23:

• 13/10/22 Amel Sdiri, Tunisian Music in the Oriental World – English
• 17/11/22 Nino Rekhviashvili, Georgian Folk Music – English
• 15/12/22 Camilo Cordoba, Tango – Français
• 2/03/23 Duygu Alkan, Anatolian Music (Turkish and Kurdish) – English
• 6/04/23 Ludovic Sirtaine, Music of Kivu (DR Congo) – Français
• 8/6/23 Andriy Nahachewsky, Ukrainian Dance: Participatory and Presentational – English