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Aynur Performs at Lotus

17 Oct 2019

https://iaunrc.indiana.edu/news-events/news/aynur-at-lotus.html

The Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center at Indiana University recently welcomed Aynur to Bloomington, where she performed at the Lotus World Music and Arts Festival on September 28 and 29. Aynur’s performances showcased the emotional depth of the Kurdish folk music tradition as interpreted in an engaging contemporary style. Her performances in Bloomington are part of an active touring schedule that since the beginning of the year has included appearances across the United States as well as in Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Morocco, Norway, and Singapore. The Center’s sponsorship of Aynur’s performance is the latest example of the Center’s long-term cooperation with the Lotus Education and Arts Foundation to bring Inner Asian and Uralic cultural programming to south-central Indiana.

A Kurd from Turkey, Aynur is a vocal artist who specializes in infusing Kurdish folk music with a contemporary sensibility influenced by Western music. Her success in the music world has allowed her to become a prominent representative of Kurdish people in Turkey and throughout the world. The Lotus Education and Arts Foundation acknowledged Aynur’s efforts to unite people through music by selecting her as this year’s Kat Domingo Memorial Artist, an honor named for an advocate of the power of music to build bridges and community. In 2017, Aynur received the Master of Mediterranean Music Award in the category of “Mediterrannean Women in Action” from the Berklee Mediterranean Music Institute. This award recognized Aynur’s efforts to preserve and reinterpret Kurdish folk music, which has transformed her into an influential role model for other women artists on the Mediterranean music scene who are seeking to share their voices.

Aynur’s soulful style reflects the life and suffering of the Kurdish people, especially Kurdish women. She has explored the Kurdish folk tradition in five albums since 2004, including her most recent release entitled Hawniyaz (2016). In addition to earning accolades in the Turkish and international press, Aynur’s music has received the acclaim of fellow artists. Aynur has collaborated with numerous musicians, including Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, Kayhan Kalhor, Javier Limón, Kinan Azmeh, Mercan Dede, Salman Gambarov, Cemil Qocgiri, Morgenland All Star Band, Nerderland Blazers Ensemble, and Sertab Erener. Her engaging performance style was evident to the large crowd she attracted to the Buskirk-Chumley Theater during her two evening performances. Subdued, jazzy laments gradually yielded to ebullient celebratory refrains as audience members began to sing along, eventually rising from their seats to dance in the aisles.

Aynur Dogan gets Americans to sing her tune

23 Oct 2018


Read more: https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/10/aynur-dogan-comes-to-us-on-tour.html#ixzz5xPrEXxeu

“In the US, unlike Europe, many in the audience heard Kurdish music for thefirst time,” says Aynur Dogan, a Kurdish-Alevi musician from Turkey, after her tour.

October 23, 2018

Author: Pinar Tremblay

Kurds are by now a part of the American political news, but their place in America’scultural news is limited and few Kurdish singers are known there. Last month, music lovers in New York were introduced to Aynur Dogan, a Kurdish Alevi music diva from Turkey — and one of Al-Monitor’s list of 50 people shaping the culture of the Middle East — who completed her Sept. 14-30 US-Canada tour with a concert in New York. The tour included various US cities in California, Indiana, Iowa, New Mexico and Wisconsin, and in Ontario, Canada. Dogan, known as simply “Aynur” to her fans, was accompanied by a group of musicians from Syria and Azerbaijan, as well as a German-born Turk. During and after each of her concerts, fans would post short clips, photos and praise on different social media platforms expressing how impressed they are with the Kurdish tunes.

“It was a crucial tour that brought Aynur and her trio to diverse American audiences,including college students and art circles. Kurdish music, specifically Anatolian and Alawite music, reached a global audience through Dogan’s emotion-laden voice,” Mutlu Civiroglu, a Washington based Kurdish affairs analyst, told Al-Monitor at

Aynur’s New York concert. Citing “Rewend” (Nomad) as his favorite song,Civiroglu pointed out that fans waited in the cold just to get a glimpse of Dogan. Another fan who attended the concert was 78-year-old who gave her name only as Hatice from Diyarbakir, who has been in self-imposed exile in the United States for the last 58 years. She said, “Today, for the first time in the United States, I felt my roots. The scent of the home I was born in, the colors of the town [Diyarbakir] I grew up in all came back to me. I cried with happiness. A woman’s voice singing our stories in our language 20 minutes away from my house.”

Hatice said that when she left Turkey, it was illegal to sing Kurdish songs in public.“This music has been with me all my life; now, Aynur has made it all come full circle. I am Kece Kurdan [the name of a song meaning “Kurdish Girl” in the Kurdish language of Kurmanji,” she said. Fifteen months after “Kece Kurdan” was released in 2004, a Diyarbakir court bannedthe album, saying that the lyrics of the title song had encouraged separatism, though the decision has been annulled a few months later. The album was the third released by this young singer from Cemisgezek, an obscure village in the southeast Anatolia. Aynur had studied music in Istanbul. The controversy got her a significant amount of attention both in the Turkish press and the global press. Aynur’s photo was also on the cover of a supplement in the “The Times” on March 21, 2005, issue, with the headline “The Cultural Wealth of Turkey.” Modest, straightforward and warm, Aynur told Al-Monitor over the phone that she felt sorry that her whirlwind tour in the United States could not include more cities, but she was delighted with the audience’s reaction.

“My audiences all around the world share similar qualities; they are receptive and accustomed to global tunes. We share the same emotions; gathering us together from such far corners of the world is art. That is the power of music,” she told Al-Monitor by phone. “What is unique for the audiences in the United States is that you get people from all nations [and] ethnicities. While on stage, we realize that all of the world’s populations can live together; they can sit down in the same room and share the same emotions. There were scores of people who drove for 12 hours or took a plane.” Multicultural musicians accompanied Aynur to the concerts. Piano player Salman Gambarow, who lives in Azerbaijan, has been performing with Aynur since 2012.

“He is a unique jazz pianist but also is so familiar and open to the music and tunes ofthe east,” said Aynur. Tanbur player Cemil Qocgiri is from a Kurdish-Alawite family from Turkey, but he was born and raised in Germany. Aynur said that he was like a bridge in the sense that he could “get together and work with diverse groups of musicians from all cultures.”

“His music’s reach is clean, minimalist, patient and relaxing. The connectionbetween each note he plays and his feelings can be felt clearly. Hence it is rather mystic. He is a valuable musician with important albums and projects — particularly on the Zazaki language [which was classified by UNESCO as a language threatened with extinction],” she added.

For the New York City concert exclusively, she was joined by clarinet player KinanAzmeh, a native Syrian who is based in New York. “In the United States, most of the audience listened to me live for the first time; frankly, there were quite a few who have never heard Kurdish music before the concert,” explained Aynur, when asked to compare the American audience to Europe, where she has given many concerts. “In Europe, there are many people from Turkey who are familiar with Kurdish, Turkish music and culture. Fans in Europe come to concerts to enjoy the show; they know the songs and most likely they are repeating audiences who have already watched my performances,” she said. But Aynur is no totally unknown in the United States, where she gave concerts before. In 2017, she was given Berklee College of Music’s Mediterranean Music Institute Award, which did not only cast the spotlight on the young singer but on Kurdish music as well. “[Kurdish music] is not a well-known genre, like Fado or Flamenco. But it is not a music that people view as alien neither. When you bring together an elderly Spanish flamenco singer along with dengbej (“bard” in Kurdish), there are so many similarities in their music. Even their intonations are not that different,” Aynur said. Asked about the difficulties in the use of the Kurdish language in Turkey, Aynur said, “Kurdish music has experienced similar problems at all times. We had a few relatively better years, but it was never easy to hold concerts or appear on television or radio. Kurdish performers did not receive much in government support, so whatever they achieved they did it by their own means. This is not unique to Kurdish music … it can be seen in other ethnic music as well.” But she expressed faith in the oral tradition for Kurdish music. “It is rather strong; that is why, despite all pressures, it has survived up to today. The more art, music gains strength and the more it produces [in any language], it will be able to resist assimilation and bigotry. Music is like a medicine and above all identities,” Aynur concluded.

Correction: Oct. 24, 2018. An earlier version of the article incorrectly said that theban on Aynur Dogan’s “Kece Kurdan” was lifted in 2015.

©2019 Al-Monitor. All rights reserved.

Reprinted with permission

Aynur Fascinated Everybody in the Pearl of Hamburg

16 Aug 2017
Published on 16th of August 2017
By BirGün
Recognized both in Turkey and internationally; with her music, her vocal style and her albums, and with her signature on great achievements Aynur has performed in the world famous Elbphilharmonie Hall.

Aynur Doğan Hamburg’u Kürtçe ezgilerle salladı

13 Aug 2017

Hamburg’un simgesi olarak görülen 2000 kişi kapasiteli dünyaca ünlü Elbfilarmoni salonunda sahne alan Kürt müzisyen Aynur, yaklaşık iki saat boyunca çoğunluğu Türkiye kökenli izleyicileri adeta büyüledi.

Bugüne kadar Tunus, İrlanda, Almanya, Kanarya Adaları, Singapur, İspanya, İsveç, Brezilya’da konserler vererek Kürt müziğini dünyaya tanıtan Aynur Doğan, Hamburg’un simgesi olarak görülen 2000 kişi kapasiteli dünyaca ünlü Elbfilarmoni salonunda sahne aldı. 

Kürt müzisyen Aynur Doğan, yaklaşık iki saat boyunca çoğunluğu Türkiye kökenli izleyicileri adeta büyüledi.

Almanya’nın en önemli mimari projelerinden olan Hamburg’taki konser salonu Elbfilarmoni düzenlenen görkemli bir törenle (Ocak 2017’de) açılmış ve ilk konserde salonda Almanya Cumhurbaşkanı Joachim Gauck ve Başbakan Angela Merkel de yer almıştı.

Sahnede söylediği Kürtçe şarkıları ile çoğu izleyici tarafından Kürtlerin Sezen Aksu’su olarak yorumlanan Aynur, sahne performansı ve ağıt şeklinde söylediği birbirinden güzel şarkılarıyla Hamburg’u adeta salladı.

Alex Simu (Klarnet) Cemil Qoçgîrî, (tambur) Manuel Lohnes, (Bas gitar) Kadir Doğan( percussion) ve Franz von Chossy’in (piyano) eşlik ettiği Aynur Doğan, Kürtçe söylediği şarkıları öncesi Dersim’de son haftalarda basına da yansıyan devlet güçlerince kasıtlı olarak orman yakmalarını kınayarak başladı.

Aynur Doğan’ın 11 Ağustos Cuma akşamı sahne aldığı, dünyanın en iyi akustiğine sahip Elbe nehri kıyısında inşa edilen ve kente 866 milyon Euro’ya mal olan “Hamburg’un İncisi” olarak tanınan, 110 metre yüksekliğindeki konser merkezi Elbfilarmonie salonu tıka basa dolmuştu.

Sahnede ağıt şeklinde söylediği Delale, Rewend, Qumrike, Malan Barkir,Berivane, Daye daye, Keca Kurden, Hejiroke şarkılarıyla izleyicilerden yoğun alkış alan Aynur,  programı bitmesine rağmen tekrar sahne alarak “Gelin” adlı Türkçe şarkıyı alkışlar arasında izleyicilerle birlikte seslendirdi.

Program sonrası birçok izleyici tarafından artık düğün salonlarında değil, Elbfilarmoni gibi dünyanın en iyi akustiğine sahip yerlerde konserler izlemek istiyoruz yorumları dikkat çekti.

Program sonrası Aynur sevenleriyle birlikte resim çektirdi.

13.8.2017:
http://www.avrupa-postasi.com/kultur/aynur-dogan-hamburg-u-kurtce-ezgilerle-salladi-h102026.html

Aynur Swayed Hamburg

13 Aug 2017

Published on 13th August 2017
By Avrupa Postasi

The Kurdish musician Aynur, who took the stage in the world famous Elbphilharmonie hall with a capacity of 2000 people, considered as the symbol of Hamburg, fascinated the audiences of Turkey origin for almost two hours.

 

 

My Emotions Speak Kurdish

12 Aug 2017

Published on 12th August 2017
Newspaper: Cumhuriyet 
Translation: Google Translate

The Kurdish musician Aynur says that the new album ‘Hawniyaz’ means ‘Wish in the Air’ and says, “I kind of wish, I wanted, we got together and I was Hawniyaz

From the stars of Kurdish music, Aynur came together with world famous virtuosos in his new album “Hawniyaz” and made an improvised recording over five tracks. In “Hawniyaz” album published under Sony Music label, Aynur, kemençe virtuoso Iranian Kayhan Kalhor, drummer Cemîl Qoçgîrî and drummer Cemîl Qoçgîrî, who are known for their drumming and experimental music approach, and Azerbaijani pianist Salman Gambaro making a musical journey through the stories of this land.

Aynur, who lives abroad, answered my questions by mail.

– Why is your album name Hawniyaz?

Hawniyaz is a word used both in Persian and Kurdish. A word that expresses how to come together, to meet, to breathe each other, to niyaz, to steal and to say. Another meaning is “Wish in the Air”. I mean, I kind of begged, we came together and we got “Hawniyaz”.

– Why did you want to re-vocalize the tracks “Delale”, “Rewend”, “Xidire min”, “Malan Barkir – Berivane”, “Ehmedo – Ez Reben Im”?

Our first meeting and registration was in 2012. This repertoire was new to my dear Kayhan or Salman, they listened to me at the concert and liked me very much. We have already come together to express our favorite tunes and songs in different forms that we have not started with the idea of ​​making albums to the project. With these sounds Cemil knows, the project has improved more easily. What makes the album different from other works is that it is an album that everyone improvised, added something and recorded live, not on any fiction. It is a traditional but somewhat experimental album with some classic, jazz and mystical motifs.

– What did this quartet bring in the music?

The messenger of our music souls. We came together to deliver it to the owners waiting for it.We have had the pleasure of sharing the possibility, beauty, and fidelity of making or developing something common with music. Working with the masters of their own business, singing, ensuring their integrity with their tones, confidence and rest and bringing experience afterwards.

– Do you read a piece in Kurdish yourself? Reading in English or other language?

I feel much more open and open when I study Kurdish, and most importantly I feel that I have experienced all my childhood. Maybe I do not know, maybe not to forget, to lose that feeling, to live. But turküler, sayings, long awaits these are my traditions, and I feel the same feelings when I read them. I feel the language is Kurdish even when feeling all Turkey! I think we should look at this picture and value it. There are also those who regard Turkey as a richness, those who prejudge it. I present my respects of infinite love to this audience, to every audience in this belief. I especially wanted to mention this. If you have a real connection with music, the easiest is to pronounce those two words. The rest are prejudices we have learned.

– Making music in Kurdish is a political stance in itself?

Of course! Every element that forms a language that does not accept the existence is political.We try to recall the simplicity of the music as much as possible while making music, but I can tell you that it is not easy.

Felt Kurdan: woman’s re-awakening

– The pieces that shines you are “Felts Kurdan”, “Yare” Şivan Perwer’ın works … What is the contribution of Şivan Perwer’s music?

I grew up with Kurdish. Since my childhood, I have listened to songs, songs, pies holding Dersim’s songs, pies, which I have listened to, all these things have already prepared me. I knew Sivan Perwer but after listening to Istanbul I could listen in detail in 90s. Especially for the first time I was very impressed and very excited when I was alive. His enthusiasm, excitement and hope were encouraging. I grew up listening to Mahmud Baran, Şeroyê Biro, Aram Tigran, and Mary Xan.

The song of Felt Kurdan is; I wanted to say that the mission that women put on them is because it invites them to fight for themselves, that is, the symbol of the re-awakening of women.

– When you give a concert in Turkey in an interview, you said in line that they want to record a criminal record. Still?

I have not had a concert in Turkey for about three years.

– Why do you give a little concert in Turkey while giving so many concerts abroad?

Demand is coming from abroad most, I can say completely from abroad. Under these conditions nobody wants to give much place to Kurdish music in Turkey.

– Where do you live? Please do not be an inquisitor …

Eee, unfortunately … All of my work, my collaborative projects, a great part of my time, is going on because almost all of the musicians I have developed live in Europe.

– Tunisia, Ireland, Germany, Canary Islands, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Brazil … You are walking around the world for concerts. What are you putting in your baggage?

When I have a nice concert and beautiful listeners, I turn back with a wonderful energy that can not fit. n In a criticism about you, “Who can speak of the existence of a soundun unique to Aynur? A star is born but a sound is not born, “he wrote. Do you accept this? I think it was an evaluation for the first album in 2004. The spirit of each era can be different. I am an audio artist, I come side by side with different musicians, I do different experiments. My sound is my voice.

Eyes always closed …

– You are telling the eyes more off the pieces … Where do you go when singing with your eyes closed?

I am integrated with my songs. I meet my own feelings.

– Yasar Kemal said to you, “It is as strong as the voice of thousands of keçin descenders from the sounding mountains.” When you are at the highest level on stage, what do you feel? “ You and those who define you always refer to it from nature …

My childhood has been intertwined with nature, I feel very fortunate to be myself. For me, nature, life, breath, self-discovery, more self-expression and self-expression.

– Why is there no Turkish translation in the album book that meets with music lovers in Turkey?

The album was actually made with a company from abroad and came out there. When the demand was over, we decided to take it out here as well. Most of the songs already have translations on other albums and on our website.

‘I am in a state of distress’

– What do you want to say about Turkey’s agenda? What kind of mood are you in?

I am in distress and regrettably watching.

– What do you want to say about the problems of Kurdish identity in Turkey?

This country is rich with the color of every corner. We need to see and accept it. Together we have no choice but to strengthen an equal and free life.

‘Bitter, reality of Kurdish geography’

– When I listen to the album I feel filled with pain … What does the album tell us as a whole?

The album actually tells the geography we live in. Unfortunately, you can often see the reality and music of Kurdish geography. The words in this album also have pain, sadness, longing, hope or even rebellion.

– Why do we always tell the pain side of pain?

Maybe I do not know how to get rid of ourselves. Maybe it’s the unseen anguish, to hear the pain …

– Who is the Aynur other than the musician? Is he sad? Is it insulting?

I can sometimes be rebellious and sometimes sad, but I am hopeful even when I hit the bottom.

MMI Honors Aynur at Concert that Brings Crowd to its Feet

11 May 2017

Published on 11th of May 2017
By Berklee

Kurdish vocalist Aynur Doğan, whose stage name is Aynur, received the Mediterranean Music Institute Award on March 16, becoming the first woman to earn the honor since the its inception in 2014. Immediately upon winning the award, she dedicated it to the resilient women of her homeland.

“It’s a big honor for me. I grew up with the voices of women who lamented war and the children they could not raise. Day after day, lamentations have grown but not sons or daughters,” she said. “I dedicate this award to our women who, despite violence and oppression, do not bow their heads.”

Born in Dersim, eastern Turkey, and raised in Istanbul, Aynur sings music that is based on traditional Kurdish folk songs, many of them at least 300 years old. Her lyrics are about the life and suffering of the Kurdish people, especially Kurdish women.

She accepted the award during the MMI’s annual concert at the Berklee Performance Center. As part of the event, the MMI announced that it was launching the Mediterranean Women in Action (MWIA) Initiative, which celebrates and reinforces the power of Mediterranean women in the arts, seeking to raise awareness and promote gender equality in the Mediterranean music scene.

Flamenco guitarist Josemi Carmona, double-bassist Javier Colina, and percussionist José Manuel Ruiz Motos kicked off the event with their song “Bandolero” and other tunes from their new album, De Cerca. Student violinist Tania Mesa appeared on stage with them for the song “Historia de un Amor.”

Aynur opened the second half of the concert, accompanied by MMI artistic director Javier Limón on guitar, with “Ehmedo.” For the next tune, the traditional Kurdish song “Heyder,” she was joined by the MMI Consort, a band of 11 students under the musical direction of Turkish students Elif Çakmut and Mahir Can Küçük, the winner of the MMI Student Achievement Award this year. The third tune, “Rewend,” one of Aynur’s most famous compositions, featured solos by Iranian student Farzin Denghan on kamancheh and guest balaban player Alp Akmaz of Turkey. The fourth song, “Malan Bar Kir—Berivane” (“Displaced from Home”), a Kurdish folk song, inspired the audience to sing along and dance down the aisles of the Berklee Performance Center. The crowd kept singing and dancing through “Keça Kurdan,” the call to Kurdish women, and “Min Digo.” It stayed on its feet for a standing ovation.

Watch Aynur’s performance of “Rewend”:  

 

Aynur Receives Prestigious Award for Excellence

15 Mar 2017

Published on 15th March 2017 by Rudaw

Kurdish vocalist Aynur Dogan who has achieved a prominent place in the Kurdish music since she released her first album Kecha Kurdan (Kurdish girl) more than a decade ago. Photo: Dogan’s official website.
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Kurdish vocalist Aynur Dogan is to receive the Master of Mediterranean Music Award on Thursday in the United States from Berklee College, the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world.

Launched in 2014, the award recognizes excellence in the Middle Eastern music.

Dogan born in the Kurdish city of Dersim and raised in Istanbul has been a rising star in Kurdish music.

She has sung her songs based on the Kurdish folk music, many of them hundreds of years old, with a focus on the life and suffering of Kurdish people, and especially women, according to the Berklee College which will honour her work tomorrow as part of its annual spring season concert.

She released her debut album Kecha Kurdan (Kurdish girl) in 2004, and has since worked with local and international musicians, including the world famous international Silk Road Ensemble, initiated by the Chinese American cellist Yo Yo Ma, whose group earlier this year won a Grammy for Best World Music featuring renowned Kurdish musician Kayhan Kalhor.

Dogan and Kalhor both have collaborated with Yo Yo Ma Silk Project which brings together dozens of musicians of different cultures from around the world.

The artistic director of the Mediterranean Music Institute of the Berklee College said this will set an example for women musicians.

“By recognizing great talents such as Aynur, who has overcome many difficulties in her career and has persevered in her quest, we try to set an example of a new generation of women musicians,” Javier Limón, said.

The institute will also announce Women in Action initiative that will last through 2018, which seeks to raise awareness of female artists and to promote gender equality in the Mediterranean music scene by helping female musicians from the region to develop their music and professional careers.

The institute noted that Dogan not only has preserved the Kurdish folk music, but she also blends the music of Kurdish and Alevi heritage with modern Western styles “to create a sound of her own”.

Mediterranean Maestros

11 Mar 2017

Aynur is featured as mediterranean Maestro at Berklee.

Aynur: The Sound Of Kurdistan

09 Mar 2017

Published on 13th July 2017
By Culture Project

Originating from Turkey’s Kurdish community ( North Kurdistan), Aynur Doğan (known as Aynur) is a world-renowned singer and artist. Having received praise from both the Turkish and global press[1], Aynur is one of the most celebrated and best selling singers of Kurdish music performing today.

Aynur’s skill as a performer is also reflected in the calibre of musicians she collaborates with, such as the distinguished cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who invited Aynur to participate in his Silk Road Project – an initiative that aims to encourage cross-cultural musical collaboration (the name, of course, being an allusion to the vast network of trade routes that came to cover much of the Eurasian continent). And earlier this year, Aynur performed at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, one of the United States’ most prestigious music schools, further highlighting her artistic talents and universal appeal.

Beyond Aynur’s enchanting and evocative singing, she’s equally adept with the saz, a fretted stringed instrument frequently heard within Kurdish music.

In the film Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul, where director Fatih Akin documents the city’s vibrant and eclectic music scene, Aynur states: “When I first started as a musician, I performed in Kurdish at Mercin. They took my saz three times from my hands.”[2] Her experiences as an ethnic minority living and performing in Turkey are palpable within her work; indeed, one can’t help but feel that only by appreciating the plight of Aynur and her fellow Kurdish musicians can one truly comprehend their music.

While Turkey is an outlier compared to other Muslim-majority countries in its liberal stance towards certain artistic forms like devotional dancing, a result of the historic presence of the Mevlevi Sufi order[3], Kurdish musicians have always had a particularly uneasy relationship with the Turkish authorities (in 2005, a court in Diyarbakir banned Aynur’s album “Keçe Kurdan”, though the verdict was overturned shortly after[4]). Again, this history of repression is echoed in the music of the Kurds, moulding the sounds and themes contained within the idiom. Aynur herself alludes to this, explaining: “What makes the difference in Kurdish music are laments – war, separation, disaster. That’s what they’re about.”[5]

As a performer, Aynur is perhaps at her most compelling when singing in a smaller ensemble, allowing her the space to explore her full dynamic range and vocal timbres. Her performance in Akin’s documentary evidences this, with the only musical accompaniment coming in the form of a simple drone. Aynur then performs a moving lament – the mournful lyrics being complemented beautifully by the employment of the haunting Phrygian dominant scale in the vocal melody, a common scale throughout the music of the Mediterranean and Middle East.

Aside from her prodigious talents, Aynur’s success is representative of music’s ability to cross cultural barriers and resonate with people the world over. Yet her work also illuminates broader issues concerning artistic freedom and censorship, and while she’s keen to be seen primarily as a musician rather than a “political singer”, she’s acutely aware of matters relating to human rights, asserting: “I am not somebody who wants to sing in quiet.[6]” Let’s hope she continues to sing out for all to hear.

Sandy Buglass is a professional musician, lecturer and writer based in London, UK. He writes on art, culture and politics. You can find him on Twitter @SandyBuglass.

 

Written exclusively for Culture Project

 

[1] http://www.aynurdogan.net/biyografi/index

[2] http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x10jmbx_crossing-the-bridge-the-sound-of-istanbul-eng-subs-pt-2_music

[3] http://www.pewforum.org/2012/08/09/the-worlds-muslims-unity-and-diversity-6-religious-practics/

[4] https://en.qantara.de/content/interview-with-the-kurdish-singer-aynur-dogan-resisting-the-wind

[5] http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x10jmbx_crossing-the-bridge-the-sound-of-istanbul-eng-subs-pt-2_music

[6] https://en.qantara.de/content/interview-with-the-kurdish-singer-aynur-dogan-resisting-the-wind

 

Aynur to Receive MMI Award

08 Mar 2017

Published on 8th March 2017
By Berklee

At its annual spring concert, on March 16, the Mediterranean Music Institute (MMI) will honor Kurdish musician Aynur with this year’s Master of Mediterranean Music Award and, at the same time, launch its Women in Action initiative, which seeks to raise awareness of female artists and to promote gender equality in the Mediterranean music scene.

Aynur, a vocalist from a Kurdish-influenced region in southeastern Turkey who was raised in Istanbul, grew up with the myths and poetry of the Alevites, a religious minority in which music plays an important role in passing along faith and tradition. Her music is based on these folk songs, many of them hundreds of years old, and focuses on the life and suffering of Kurdish people, and especially Kurdish women.

“By recognizing great talents such as Aynur, who has overcome many difficulties in her career and has persevered in her quest, we try to set an example of a new generation of women musicians,” said Javier Limón, the artistic director of the Mediterranean Music Institute.

The MMI’s Mediterranean Women in Action initiative will last through 2018 and will focus on female students from the region by promoting their music and supporting them in developing and furthering their professional careers. In addition, beginning this fall, the MMI will spotlight repertoire from great artists such as vocalists Rosa Balistreri from Sicily, Italy, and Fairuz from Lebanon.

While Aynur’s work helps preserve Kurdish folk oral traditions, she also blends the music of her heritage with modern Western styles to create a sound of her own. Her Western influences include artists as varied as John Coltrane, Mari Boine, and Tracy Chapman. She has collaborated with Yo Yo Ma and Silk Road Ensemble; Iranian kamancheh player Kayhan Kalhor; Syrian clarinetist Kinan Azmeh; Turkish composer and DJ Mercan Dede; and many other notable artists of the Mediterranean and beyond.

Launched in 2014, the Master of Mediterranean Music Award recognizes excellence in Mediterranean music. That year, flamenco guitarist Pepe Habichuela and flamenco singer José Mercé shared the honor. Since then, the MMI has given the award to harmonica player Antonio Serrano and flamenco legend Pepe de Lucía.

Aynur will receive the award at the MMI’s spring concert at the Berklee Performance Center. Accompanying Aynur will be the MMI Consort, a band of Berklee students from the Mediterranean. Also appearing onstage will be a Spanish jazz flamenco trio formed by guitarist Josemi Carmona, double-bassist Javier Colina, and percussionist José Manuel Ruiz Motos “Bandolero.”

The Guardian Hawniyaz: Impressive Musicianship

18 Aug 2016

Published on 18th August 2016 by The Guardian

Hawniyaz are an intriguing new group from the Middle East, featuring two celebrated Kurdish musicians. Kayhan Kalhor, a remarkable performer on the kamancheh “spike fiddle” was born in Kurdish Iran but now lives in the US, while Aynur, originally from the Kurdish region of Turkey, is now based in Istanbul. Here they are joined by another Kurdish musician, Cemîl Qoçgirî on tenbûr lute, and the Azerbaijani jazz pianist Salman Gambarov, who adds improvisation and western influences, rather like Thomas Bartlett in The Gloaming. This is an album of impressive musicianship dominated by Aynur’s emotional, versatile vocals. She demonstrated her range at Womad last month, and here switches from delicate to powerful and intense passages on Delalê and Rewend (Nomad). Gambarov adds gently drifting piano passages and is a thoughtful accompanist, though I would have preferred him to have eased off during some of Kalhor’s exquisite, often mournful solos.

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