—CARNEGIE HALL PRESENTS: BERLIN IN LIGHTS FESTIVAL—
NOVEMBER 2–18, 2007
MUSICIAN AND COMPOSER NEVZAT AKPINAR LEADS HIS BERLIN-BASED ENSEMBLE
IN A CONCERT OF TRADITIONAL TURKISH AND KURDISH FOLK MUSIC IN ITS
U.S. DEBUT PERFORMANCE ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9 IN ZANKEL HALL
The Nevzat Akpinar Ensemble, comprised of musicians from Berlin’s large Turkish and Kurdish communities, makes its U.S. debut in Zankel Hall on Friday, November 9 at 8:30 p.m. The Nevzat Akpinar Ensemble performs the folk and ritual music of the Alevi, a mystical Sufi order, including selections from the semah ritual and mystical love songs known as deyis. The program also features baglama (lute) and vocal music from various regions of Turkey, dance music of central Anatolia, and original compositions. This performance is presented by Carnegie Hall in partnership with the World Music Institute and is part of Berlin in Lights, Carnegie Hall’s first major international festival, presented from November 2–18.
The Nevzat Akpinar Ensemble features seven of Berlin’s finest performers on baglama, the predominant stringed instrument of Turkey. The group is under the direction of composer-musician-teacher Nevzat Akpinar, who was born in 1968 in Sivas, Central Anatolia, and moved to Berlin, Germany in 1980. He studied with the baglama virtuoso Talip Oezkan, Turkish composer Tayfun Erdem, and Henning Schmidt. As a baglama player, Mr. Akpinar toured Europe with Mikas Theodorakis and Zuelfue Livaneli and participated in Mozart’s Abduction from the Seraglio under the direction of George Tabori. He made two recordings with Zotos Compania, a Greek-German-Turkish band. As a composer, Mr. Akpinar has written solo pieces for baglama, works set to Turkish poetry, and chamber music. He composed Johann Dede, a work for string orchestra, oboe, baglama, and choir, which was performed by the Berlin Symphonic Orchestra at the Berlin Philharmonic Hall. Together with Haydar Kutluer, Mr. Akpinar directs Baglama Muezik, a baglama school in Berlin.
Presented from November 2–18, Berlin in Lights is a 17-day celebration of the extraordinary city that is Berlin today, offering a snapshot of Germany’s vibrant capital city through orchestral, chamber, cabaret, world, and techno music concerts as well as film, architecture, literature, and photography events. With close to 50 events presented at Carnegie Hall and throughout New York City, the scope of the festival is made possible through collaborations with a broad range of cultural partners including The American Academy in Berlin, the Center for Architecture, the German Consulate General in New York, Goethe-Institut New York, the Guggenheim Museum, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Neue Galerie New York, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, Thirteen/WNET New York, WNYC—New York Public Radio, and the World Music Institute.
Further information on all events and participants may be found at Carnegie Hall’s dedicated Berlin in Lights website:
www.carnegiehall.org/berlininlights
. The website, which goes live in late September, will feature a full listing of events, performers, and repertoire, as well as a multimedia component featuring essays on Berlin, audio interviews, video footage, photographs from Berlin in Lights events, and blogs from New York-based writers and participants in the festival.
Carnegie Hall’s world music series is presented in partnership with the World Music Institute, which is dedicated to the study and presentation of the finest traditional and contemporary music and dance from around the world. Growing out of a concert program developed at New York’s Alternative Museum begun in 1976, the World Music Institute has presented music from more than 100 countries in regions throughout the world.
Program Information
Friday, November 9 at 8:30 p.m. Zankel Hall
NEVZAT AKPINAR ENSEMBLE
Presented by Carnegie Hall in partnership with the World Music Institute.
The Berlin in Lights festival is made possible by a leadership gift from the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation.
Major funding has also been provided by Mercedes and Sid Bass, with additional support from Martha and Bob Lipp, Fundación Mercantil (Venezuela) and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Additional funding provided by Axel Springer, GWFF USA Inc., and the Jerome Robbins Foundation.
Bank of America is the Proud Season Sponsor of Carnegie Hall.
Ticket Information
Beginning on September 17 tickets, priced at $36 and $44, will be available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street. Tickets may also be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or online by visiting
www.carnegiehall.org
.