Sufi Music Festival, which is taking place this year for the first time, is part of the and is sponsored by the Governorship of. has been home to many cultures since the dawn of human history. It was also the city of the great Sufi poet, one of the founders of Anatolian Sufism along with two other contemporary figures, Mevlana Jelaladdin Rumi and Haci Bektash. This Festival, named after, aims to introduce Sufi musical traditions and to implement mutual understanding and interaction between Muslim communities to the fullest level. Additionally, Sufi Music Festival seeks to emphasize the unparalleled diversity Sufi traditions gained through cultural cross-pollination with local cultures in various regions throughout history. In this first year of the Festival, it is also intended to emphasize musicality of "zikir" tradition as a vocal art form and stress on the significance of women in Sufi traditions. This event is prepared with the ambition and hope that it will continue as a reputable festival in the future. Sufi Music Festival Organization Committee Mehmet K l çlar (Governor of, Head of Foundation for Culture, Art and Tourism ) Nurullah Naci Kalkanc (Deputy Governor) Soner fienel (Mahmudiye Provincial Governor, Director of Foundation for Culture, Art and Tourism) Ali Osman Gül (Director, Provincial Directorate of Tourism) Dr. Timuçin Çeviko lu (Ministry of Culture Artist, Festival Artistic Director)
Monday, May 2 nd 2011 Gnawa Maâlem Hamid el Kasri MOROCCO Gnawa music mixes classical Islamic Sufism with pre-islamic African traditions, whether local or sub-saharan. As Islam spread through North Africa, it also incorporated many older beliefs and traditions of the region. In this respect, the practices of Gnawa have striking similarities to possession and healing rituals of former Animist rites where fast paced, rhythmic music and acrobatic dances were used to create a hypnotic trance state. The Gnawa ritual meeting is called derdeba. Similar to many other Sufi rituals, the music played during derdeba is very repetitive. The main instrument is guembri (also called sintir, tidinit or hajhuj in different regions) played by the leader, called the maalem (master musician) in the vernacular. Large, metal cymbals called krakebs and various drums called tbel are played by the accompanists. They also repeat the maalem's lines, thereby serving as a chorus. Born in 1961, Maalem Hamid el Kasri comes from a family of long line of Gnawa musicians from the town of Ksar el-kebir (hence the nickname Kasri) in northern Morocco. He was initiated to this music at an early age in his family and later became not only a master of this style but also a virtuoso on the guembri. He has performed all over the world at a variety of occasions and festivals.
ESK fiEH R YUNUS EMRE Tuesday, May 3rd 2011 Deba Deba MAYOTTE Mayotte is an island in the Comorros Archipelago, a set of islands between Continental Africa and Madagascar. Islam was first introduced to the Comorros with the arrival of Arab navigators voyaging between the islands and the mainland. The encounter between the local Bantu civilization and Arab civilization gave birth to the Swahili culture. Debaa is a Muslim cultural practice in Mayotte, that is exclusively feminine, a mixture of music and dance based on Qasida. It has become an occasion to rejoice and share moments of happiness for women. Adorned in their most beautiful jewelry and wearing their best robes, women perform with movements of the head and the arms that correspond to very elegant figures. Eskiflehir The themes of debaa are those of mystic poems, such as: the invocation of Allah, glorifying the Prophet, the praise of saintly men, reminders of ethically moral behavior, love, et cetera. These same poems are accompanied on drums and declaimed during commemorative ceremonies of the Mawlid, the birth of the Prophet. The ensemble Deba, carrying the same name as the tradition they put on stage, consists of 13 female musicians from Mayotte. They had a pioneering role in making this tradition known as a musical from around the world.
ESK fiEH R YUNUS EMRE Wednesday, May 4th 2011 Qawwali Mehr Ali & Sher Ali Qawwal PAKISTAN Eskiflehir Qawwali is a musical form developed to convey religious message through music with the intention of achieving closeness to God by creating a state of trance. The texts are usually chosen from the poetry of sufi masters and they commonly deal with concepts like divine love (ishq), the sorrow of separation (hijr, firaq) and the union (visal). The qawwal often dwell on one phrase or sentence, indicating both the obvious and hidden content by emphasizing and repeating various words and syllables, taking the audience into the discovery of hitherto not obvious meanings. Sentences are repeated until all the meaning is exhausted and words becomes meaningless. It is often this element that transcends linguistic barriers. At this point, qawwal speaks not through the words but through the universal language of music which in this case is characterized by strong voices and a rhythm getting faster and faster as listeners get closer to the state of trance. As it is performed today, a Qawwali ensemble usually consists of 9-12 men including a lead singer, one or two side singers, one or two harmoniums, and a percussion, usually tabla. Music begins gently and builds steadily to a very high energy level. Qawwali songs are classified according to the content of the poetry. The music of Mehr Ali & Sher Ali Qawwal Ensemble has its origins with the Talvandi classical school of Hindustani music. Ustad (Master) Mehr Ali and Ustad Sher Ali were born in the Pakistani border-town of Kasur in the early 1950s and received their earlier training in classical music from their father. Their father then became the disciple of Fateh Ali Khan, the father of the famous Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Mehr Ali and Sher Ali thus acknowledge the family of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan as their "Ustad Gharan" or "Teacher House", a term imbued with veneration among musician circles in Pakistan and North India.
Thursday, May 5 th 2011 Wednesday, May 2 th 2011 Sufi Music & Dances Sanggar Seni Seulaweuet INDONESIA In addition to its unique blend of local, Indian, Chinese and Islamic influences, the extraordinarily diverse society of Indonesia is also home to the world's largest Muslim population. Although it is widespread throughout the archipelago, the heart of Islamic culture is the island of Sumatra, and especially the Aceh province in the North. Due to the diverse culture inherited from the Hindu-Buddhist era as well as many elements of local tradition, Islam in Indonesia has developed a rich and colorful accent. In Aceh, there are several dances and songs, like Seudati, Tari Saman and Rapai Geleng. These are performed at different occasions or rituals. Although there are differences between them, they all originate from zikir, the Islamic meditative prayer. They share certain traits like call-response style of singing, repetitive songs and an increasing rhythmic speed. Also striking is the similarity of these traditions to the local non-islamic traditions such as the Gamelan. Both styles are mainly percussive and performed by large ensembles. In addition, in Gamelan as well as styles originating from zikir, different parts are played and/or sung by sub-groups in the ensemble. The whole of the ensemble, creating together, establishes the music. Hailing from Aceh, Sanggar Seni Seulaweuet, led by Said Rahmat, is dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of Acehnese traditional music and dance. They seek to create and increase awareness both in Indonesia and abroad. Having performed at a variety of occasions in Malaysia, China, USA and Turkey, the group is also a school for Acehnese youth to learn the rich culture of the region. Joining the festival with 18 musicians and dancers, this group will present several different dances of the region.
Friday, May 6 th 2011 Persian Classical Sufi Music Mohammad Reza Lotfi & Shayda Ensemble IRAN The essence of Persian classical music can perhaps best be traced in the mystical poetry of Iran. Throughout the long history of Iran, Iranians have expressed their philosophical and artistic understanding of the world through poetry and music. The Dastgâh system of Persian classical music, Radif, is developed based on the meter of Persian poetry in an abstract way to accompany and help shed light on the mystical world of poetry. If Ghazal is the crown jewel of Persian poetry forms, music based on the Radif is the best form to bring out the mystery of the Ghazal. Phrases in the Persian Classical Music were developed to best convey the message of the poet who uses metaphors and mysticism to describe his or her world. Uneven length of phrases and rhythmic cycles are designed especially for this purpose. Mohammad Reza Lotfi is one of the greatest contemporary masters of the târ and setâr. He is among the major figures who, in the past twenty years, have revolutionized the Persian traditional (classical) music. His innovative approach of combining the classical with folk elements, both in terms of music and technique, has injected a new vitality into a very old tradition. His original creativity and the deep-rooted emotional quality of his playing have made him the father of a new aesthetics in Persian music.
Saturday, May 7 th 2011 Sufi Music with Poems & Sema (Whirling) Ceremony Konya State Turkish Sufi Music Ensemble TURKEY The literal meaning of the word Semâ is to hear. For Mevlevi dervishes, it carries the added meaning of being enraptured while listening to music, being in motion and whirling. It symbolically refers to the creation of the universe and humankind s coming into being. It also refers to one s acting on both her love for the Grand Creator and on the perception of her station as servant of that creator while maturing into the Perfect Man. Semâ is a zikir said silently while whirling on foot. The whirling dervishes silently call Allah inwardly on every whirl. Currently directed by Yusuf Kayya, Konya Turkish Sufi Music ensemble specializes on Mevlevi Music and the Sema Ceremony. It was established in 1991. The Ensemble has continued to perform Sema Ceremony on Shab-i Arus and other periodic performances every year since its establishment. In addition to Sema Ceremony, group will present sufi music with s poems in their performance in the festival. Dr. Timuçin Çeviko lu Festival Art Director +90 539 859 9696 timucincevikoglu@yunusemrefest.com