Welcome to Makam New York
A Non-Profit for Music and Arts
About
Makam New York is the first in North America to create an annual Turkish Music Institute that brings makam music's finest masters to New York City for intensive workshops and concert at a leading performing arts center.
Makam New York, founded by internationally-renowned vocalist Ahmet Erdoǧdular in 2007 and incorporated in 2011, holds a vision of revitalizing the Ottoman artistic lineage as part of a wider movement to reclaim Turkey’s place as a leading center of cosmopolitan contemporary culture.
What we call Ottoman Turkish classical music today is an outcome hundreds of years of artistic development in a multicultural environment, geographically spread over three continents. Earliest written documents of this musical tradition date back to 10th century. With the establishment of the Ottoman Empire, which spanned over parts of Asia, Africa, and Europe, creation and development of arts, and especially music were supported by the sultans, some of whom were musicians and composers themselves. Along Turkish, Greek, Armenian, and Jewish musicians also contributed to the creation of Ottoman Turkish musical heritage. In modern musicological terms, Turkish music is the prototype of a multicultural musical tradition.
Turkish classical music is based on modal (makam) system. Makam refers to a set of rules that describe melodic progression (seyir). In Turkish music there were over 400 different makams, but not all of them are in use today. The structure of any makam may be presented by musical notes, yet in the compositions and in their performance they will have to include several more elements, which display a variety, richness, and variations that cannot be written down on a notation line. The true identity of makams can be described not only in general theoretical terms, but in the way they are composed and performed.
Practice and learning directly from a teacher through a traditional system called meshk, is essential for continuation of Turkish classical music. This learning method involves transmission of knowledge from teacher to student - master to apprentice. Availability of master practitioners of Turkish classical music is vital to learning and continuing this musical tradition. Meshk learning tradition almost died out in Turkey, and the few master practitioners who came out of this tradition carried it over to twenty-first century. Providing an opportunity to learn from them is one of the main goals of Turkish Music Institute.
What We Do
Concerts
Makam New York works with worlds leading artists to create concerts
Turkish Story Time
Turkish Story Time engaged and playful reading
Makam New York Podcast
Weekly porgrams