A Thousand Years of Turkish Sufism, Music, Poetry and Arts
with Latif Bolat

Sat 15 July - 10:30am - 4:30pm St Marks Church, Myddelton Square, EC1R 1XX Angel
Admission: £45 (£25 conc.) including concert. Limited spaces available, advance booking essential.

Concert starts at 7pm

Workshop: In this day-long workshop, we'll examine and practice the ancient Sufi poetry and music of Turkey. Starting in central Asia, Turks developed a unique blend of shamanistic, islamic and somewhat heterodoxical mysticsm. In this workshop, we'll work on the music theory, musical styles, ryhtmic patterns, Sufi poetry and other mystical arts of the Turkish people. Some of the workshops will be hands on practices of the music. So bring your guitars, violins or any instruments you have along with any size or shapes of drums to discover the complicated and very entertaining Turkish beats. Here are some of the related lectures and workshops in this full day of Turkish cultural offering:

a) Turkish History from Central Asia to Anatolia: 1000 years of Journey
b) Turkish Religions from Shamanism to Islam
c) Turkish Sufi Mysticsm since Islam
d) Turkish Music theory: Makams, musical forms and Turkish Rhythms
e) Mystic poetry of Turkish Dervishes

One of the most well-known Turkish musicians in the U.S., Latif Bolat plays Turkish Folk Music and devotional Sufi songs, called Ilahi and Nefes, from the Anatolian peninsula. Accompanying himself on baglama (Turkish long-necked lute), Latif sings of love and spirit, with many songs featuring the lyrics of the great 13th century mystical poets Rumi and Yunus Emre.

Latif Bolat, one of the most renowned Turkish musicians in North America , is a native of the Turkish Mediterranean town of Mersin. After receiving his degree in folklore and music at Gazi University in Ankara, Turkey, he taught traditional music throughout the country. He then went on to manage Ankara Halk Tiyatrosu, a musical theater company, which performed traditional musical plays. Mr. Bolat also received additional degrees in Turkish History and Middle East Religion and Politics from Ankara University and an MBA from San Francisco State University.

Now residing in the USA, Mr. Bolat is one of the most distinguished Turkish musicians in this country. He has presented concerts and lectures at colleges, universities, performing arts institutions and festivals across the US, Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand, Bulgaria, Philippines, Scotland, Singapore, Indonesia and Turkey. With a vast repertory that includes songs in classical, folk and Sufi mystic music styles, he accompanies his singing on the baglama (long-necked lute), and various other traditional instruments from the Turkish folk music tradition.

Specializing in the ancient Turkish mystic-devotional music genre, Latif Bolat has been received with appreciation and enthusiasm throughout the world, as he provides a unique philosophy and approach to the performance of traditional music. By creating an intimate, almost "storytelling" atmosphere, he explains Turkish folk and mystic music and its sociopolitical and cultural elements. The performance both entertains and invites the audience to ponder questions such as how major sociopolitical factors influence culture and the art it produces.

In his lectures, he tries to tie together the related disciplines of Turkish and Ottoman history, politics, and religion from within the framework of Turkish culture and music.

Mr.Bolat performs as a singer and accompanies himself on the traditional Turkish stringed instrument "baglama." Other traditional acoustic Turkish instruments which frequently accompany him include frame drum, ney flute, kanun, violin and oud. As an important part of the presentation, Turkish devotional poetry from the 13th century mystics Rumi and Yunus Emre as well as later Turkish mystic poets are also sprinkled throughout the program. In addition to spoken elaboration, slides are used to create a complete experience by providing scenes of the Turkish countryside, cities, artwork, architecture, and people. This provides a deeper understanding of the culture by combining the musical presentation with images of its origin.