Doctor of Music

Through concerts such as “Turkish-Greek,” “Armenian composers in the Ottoman Empire,” and “Come, see what love made to me,” Dunya Inc. is carrying forward all the different colors of Turkish music, from the Ottomans to contemporary, and is demonstrating the universal character of music.


Dunya Inc. was established about a year ago under the guidance of Mr. Mehmet Ali Sanlikol. Its mission is to bring the richness of world music into the concert halls.

Mr. Sanlikol started his musical education with piano at the age of five.  He has been living in the US since 1993. After his film music and jazz education at Berklee College of Music, he finished his masters at the New England Conservatory of Music. Mr. Sanlikol, who is currently a member of the faculty of Tufts University, was a rock musician in the ‘80s, and produced two albums. One of the musicians he was working with then was Ms. Sebnem Ferah, the celebrated rock singer. Mr. Sanlikol toured Mexico, Argentina, and the US with his group `AidoFact’ in 1997, and is also a recipient of the Clare Fisher Award given by Berklee College of Music.  

His interest in Turkish music began in 2000. He took classes in Turkish Art Music from Ms. Nilgun Dogrusoz, a visiting professor. The motivation to establish Dunya Inc. came from the desire to have an institution which would better organize the concerts of volunteer musicians. His wife Ms. Serap Kantarci and Prof. Robert Labaree, who knows and can perform Turkish music as well as a Turk, are helping him to organize concerts.

Around 12 thousand people have attended the concerts. At the beginning, the concerts were free; later they started to charge for tickets. One interesting aspect of Dunya Inc. is that none of the managers is a musician.

Mr. Sanlikol also was successful in organizing several “Firsts” in Boston. Together with his group, he organized the first Turkish-Greek concert. He invited Armenian musicians to his group, even though there is a strong Armenian lobby in Boston. “The language of music is universal and it is one of the best ways to break down barriers,” he says.

According to Mr. Sanlıkol, his aim is to introduce musical varieties almost forgotten even in Turkey, to music lovers with new perspectives. Currently Mr. Sanlikol is working on a book about the Mehter, the Ottoman military bands.

DUNYA INC’S CONCERT SERIES
“Come, see what love made to me”: The concert was conducted by Prof. Robert Labaree and included Turkish songs, instrumental music and poetry.


Anatolian Rock/Pop: The concert was a mixture of ‘60s and “70s Turkish folk songs, American rock and pop songs.

The Psalms of Ali Ufki: In this concert the group performed various works of Ali Ufki, who was originally Polish and converted to Islam at age 30, while being influenced by Judaism, Greek Orthodoxy, Protestantism and Sufism.

Armenian Composers of the Ottoman Empire: The concert will be featuring works of Armenian Composers of the Ottoman Empire, with the collaboration of some famous Armenian musicians. The concert, sponsored by the students of MIT in Boston, will be held on May 20th, 2005 in Bis Kresge Hall.

(April 2005, 16th Issue)