On May 8, the Centre d’Essai of the Université de Montréal will host an inspiring encounter between Iranian and Turkish music for the first time in Montréal in a special concert, Golestan d’Anatolie, a tribute to Anatolia music. This concert will bring together Turkish musician Ismail Fencioglu and Iranian musicians, Reza Abaee, Pooria Pournazeri and Ziya Tabassian.
These virtuoso artists will perform a unique mixture of instrumental music and song repertoire from Anatolia on traditional Turkish and Iranian instruments.
Pournazeri will play tanbur, a long‐necked lute found in many Asian regions, and Abaee will play gheychak, a viola used by Balouchistan Qalandars. Tabassian will perform rhythm and Fencioglu will sing and play the Turkish Oud, a short‐necked lute widely used in Middle‐Eastern countries.
Anatolia, meaning “East” or “Sunrise”, is a region located at the western edge of the Asian continent. Bordering the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, This region has long been a place of encounter and the coming together of rich and diverse cultures.
Golestan d’Anatolie will offer its audience a taste of Anatolia’s inspiring cultural heritage.
Introduced to music by his father from a young age, Iranian musician Reza Abaee learned to play the tombak and the kamancheh. He studied composition and founded the fusion music band Avijeh. He also learned to play the gheychak and later collaborated on several musical projects. He has worked as a musician and composer with Iranian National Radio‐Television, and collaborated on the music of several Persian and fusion movies and music albums.
Born in Turkey into a family with a rich musical tradition, Ismail Fencioğlu started taking oud and singing lessons at an early age. When he was a student, he performed on television reaching a wide audience. He worked as a composer and musical arranger in Turkey while specializing in making various musical instruments. Settled in Canada since 2001, Fencioğlu has founded the Choeur de Musique Turque de Montréal and Choeur de Musique Turque d’Ottawa.
Iranian musician Pooria Pournazeri learned to play the tanboor and the setar as a young child with his father and uncle. Later on, he performed as a member of the Shams Ensemble in Iran and has since made and contributed to many albums, such as Tanbours Chant, Scape from Darkness, and Zhoor. Now settled in Montréal, Pournazeri continues to perform and teaches tanboor, setar and daf.
A native of Iran, the artist Ziya Tabassian has played tombak since he was ten years old. In addition to world music, he performs ancient and contemporary music. As a founding member of the Ensemble Constantinople, Tabassian has performed several concerts in America, Europe and Asia. He has released many albums, ten of which are with the Ensemble Constantinople and two as part of a duo with his brother Kiya Tabassian. His first solo album TOMBAK was released in 2007.
Reza Abae ‐ Gheychak
Ismail Fencioğlu ‐ Oud and singer
Pooria Pournazeri ‐ Tanbur
Ziya Tabassian ‐ Percussions