Artwork depicting Ottoman musicians.
Ethnomusicologist, performer, and educator Joseph Alpar will offer a performance exploring the intertwined histories of Jews, Muslims, and Christians in the Ottoman Empire through music on November 16, at 7:30 p.m. The free and open to the community performance, “Aşk: Music, Love, and Mysticism in the Ottoman World,” will be in the Arthur Zankel Music Center, Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall of Skidmore College.
Alpar and his ensemble will perform a diverse program of music exploring the long, intertwined histories of Jews, Muslims, and Christians in the Ottoman Empire from the 14th through 20th centuries. The central theme of the concert is love—aşk in Turkish (pronounced ah-shk)—in all its forms. Poignant songs of unrequited desire, lyrical wedding ballads about marital loyalty, bawdy tunes delighting in infidelity, driving Sufi and Jewish mystical songs about Divine and earthly beloveds, and musical vignettes of everyday courtship, relationships, and separation. The concert will tell a story of shared musical traditions and cultural collaboration between the peoples of the Ottoman world in several languages—Turkish, Hebrew, Judeo-Spanish (Ladino), Greek, and Arabic. Alpar will sing and perform on several Turkish and Greek instruments.
Alpar teaches at Bennington College. His research centers on musical and religious practices in Turkey and former Ottoman territories, Jewish music, Sufi music, and music and modernity. Alpar earned his doctorate in ethnomusicology from The Graduate Center, City University of New York in May 2020, having completed a dissertation titled, “Music and Jewish Practice in Contemporary Istanbul: Preserving Heritage, Bending Tradition.” His research has been supported by fellowships from The American Research Institute in Turkey (ARIT) and The Center for Jewish Studies at The Graduate Center, CUNY among other institutions. In addition to his academic work, Alpar is a multi-instrumentalist and singer of Middle Eastern and Western art music. He is the director of David’s Harp, a Philadelphia-based ensemble specializing in the music of Turkey, Greece, and North Africa, particularly in the music of Sephardic and Mizrahi Jewish communities. He has taught previously in the music departments of Swarthmore College, Temple University, and CUNY, Hunter College. He was a fellow in the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies to study and contribute to Jewish Life in Modern Islamic Contexts project.
The program is sponsored by Skidmore’s Jacob Perlow Series, Office of Special Programs, and the departments of music, environmental studies and sciences, religious studies, political science, and history. Funding is provided by endowments established by Jacob Perlow and by Beatrice Troupin. Perlow, an immigrant to the United States in the 1920s, was interested in religion and philosophy, and was committed to furthering Jewish education. Additional funding was provided by a bequest from Beatrice Perlman Troupin.
November 16, 2024 at 7:30 PM
Arthur Zankel Music Center, Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall
Admission is free and open to the public
Joseph Alpar and his ensemble will perform a diverse and exciting program of music exploring the long, intertwined histories of Jews, Muslims, and Christians in the Ottoman Empire from the 14th through 20th centuries. The central theme of the concert is love—aşk in Turkish (pronounced ah-shk)—in all its forms. Poignant songs of unrequited desire, lyrical wedding ballads about marital loyalty, bawdy tunes delighting in infidelity, driving Sufi and Jewish mystical songs about Divine and earthly beloveds, and musical vignettes of everyday courtship, relationships, and separation. The concert will tell an inspiring story of shared musical traditions and intense cultural collaboration between the peoples of the Ottoman world in several languages—Turkish, Hebrew, Judeo-Spanish (Ladino), Greek, and Arabic. Joseph Alpar will sing and perform on several Turkish and Greek instruments and will be joined by a stellar ensemble.
JOSEPH ALPAR
About Joseph Alpar
Dr. Joseph Alpar is an ethnomusicologist, performer, and educator who currently teaches at Bennington College. His research centers on musical and religious practices in Turkey and former Ottoman territories, Jewish music, Sufi music, and music and modernity. Alpar earned his Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from The Graduate Center, City University of New York in May 2020, having completed a dissertation titled, “Music and Jewish Practice in Contemporary Istanbul: Preserving Heritage, Bending Tradition.” His research has been supported by fellowships from The American Research Institute in Turkey (ARIT) and The Center for Jewish Studies at The Graduate Center, CUNY among other institutions. In addition to his academic work, Alpar is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist and singer of Middle Eastern and Western art music. He is the director of David’s Harp, an acclaimed Philadelphia-based ensemble specializing in the music of Turkey, Greece, and North Africa, particularly in the music of Sephardic and Mizrahi Jewish communities. He has taught previously in the music departments of Swarthmore College, Temple University, and CUNY, Hunter College. He was a fellow in the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies to study and contribute to Jewish Life in Modern Islamic Contexts project.
Sponsored by the Jacob Perlow Series, Office of Special Programs, and the departments of Music, Environmental Studies and Sciences, Religious Studies, Political Science, and History. Funding is provided by endowments established by Jacob Perlow and by Beatrice Troupin.
About the Jacob Perlow Series: A generous grant from the estate of Jacob Perlow – an immigrant to the United States in the 1920s, a successful business man deeply interested in religion and philosophy, and a man who was committed to furthering Jewish education – supports annual lectures and presentations to the College and Capital District community on issues broadly related to Jews and Judaism. Additional funding was provided by a bequest from Mrs. Beatrice Perlman Troupin.
