Turkey in Music

Free Musical Carpet Ride Celebrates Turkish-Australian Cultures

One Night Only – Wednesday 4 March 2015

Capitol Theatre, Sydney

An exclusive presentation of Turkey’s rich and colourful culture, the free Turkey in Music gala concert will bring together an ensemble of multi-talented Turkish and Australian musicians, singers and visual artists for one night only at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre on Wednesday 4 March 2015.

Presented as a gift to Australia from the Turkish Ministry of Culture & Tourism, the free concert will take audiences on a musical carpet ride from the cradle of civilisation and the land of Noah’s Ark to the mystical Ottoman Empire and the magical soundscape of contemporary Turkey.

Written and produced for this one-off gala concert, Turkey in Music traverses historic and contemporary Turkish culture from Anatolian landscapes and ancient civilisations, across landmarks such as the Grand Bazaar, Galata Tower and Topkapi Palace, to the artistry of Turkish carpets, calligraphy and marbling, and the traditional stories of Ottoman sultans and adventurous swashbucklers.

Under the artistic direction of celebrated Turkish choreographer and director Beyhan Murphy and successful young musical director and conductor Aytug Ulgen, the Turkey in Music gala concert will feature a 30 piece orchestra including independent traditional and contemporary instrumentalists from Turkey and Australia alongside players from Turkey’s Samsun & Ankara State Opera and Ballet Orchestras.

The evening will feature traditional, classical and contemporary vocal performances from Australian soprano Laura King, Turkish-Australian soprano Ayse Goknur Shanal, contemporary Turkish female vocalist Demet Tugcu, celebrated Turkish opera stars Kevork Tavityan (baritone) and Tuncay Kurtoglu (bass).

The multi-faceted Turkey in Music orchestra will showcase a fascinating array of instruments from the region including the Ney (Turkish reed flute),Darbouka (Turkish goblet shaped drum), Oud (pear-shaped middle-eastern string instrument), Rebab (Arabic bowed string instrument), Kanoun(multi-stringed middle-eastern instrument), Bendir (North African frame drum), Cajon (six-sided box shaped percussion originally from Peru), Kanjira (South Indian frame drum), Fujara (Slovakian contrabass folk flute) and the Didgeridoo.