Dear friends of beautiful music,

I write on a January night from the deep winter’s cold of upstate New York, sitting close to my wood stove and warmed by the thoughts of what has been accomplished in the last few months in the realm of the music we share a love of.

Since the return of our teacher Timuçin to Turkey after his U.S. tour in December of 2015, there had been an uncertainty as to how we would continue to advance in our studies. For many of us, the encountering of a teacher who has with great patience and love been able to lead us to a larger understanding of the musical tradition he represents, has been the most important factor in our musical development. We know that this music can only be learned through meşk,  which is the oral tradition in which the teacher demonstrates (in all the complexity and subtlety), and the students imitate (to the best of their understanding and ability). Key to this of course is access to a qualified teacher, and one of the important issues we face if this music is to become well established here in the U.S. is how to develop reliable access to good instruction and a network to support the learning process for students here.

This humble effort now underway, the Society for Turkish Classical Music, is striving to address these needs.

From late October through mid November 2017, musicians and supporters from across the country pulled efforts together and we were able to host Timuçin for a series of master classes in Ithaca, NY, Pinole, CA, and Seattle, WA. It was an important opportunity to bring his students together again in a context of advanced study, as well as to introduce some new students and expose this great music to audiences both familiar and new.

Timuçin was also able to deliver two lectures to student and faculty audiences at the University of Washington, which were very well received and we hope will be precursors to other activities we intend to develop at institutions of higher learning. (A special thanks is due to Dr. Timothy Kinsella for arranging these events at UW.)

To further develop these activities and others that we recognize to be important, a viable organizational structure is necessary. I have been working with a lawyer here to draft bylaws and prepare a certificate of incorporation for legally forming the Society for Turkish Classical Music as a non-profit arts and education organization, to seek 501 (c)(3) status. We expect to file the paperwork with the Secretary of State of New York within the next couple of weeks. I will plan to give updates through this blog.

Another very significant development that you may already be looking at comes to us through the efforts of our sister Fatima in Portland OR, which is the new website. Please visit https://www.turkishclassicalmusic.org and share your ideas to help improve this effort, (and to express appreciation to her for building this public interface!)

Thank you all for your interest, and for any support you may wish to contribute toward the efforts of establishing the Society for Turkish Classical Music as an organization capable of serving well. Your knowledge, skills, good ideas, and financial contributions if you are able, will be valued and help us to have solid ground to build on.

With all best wishes,

Mahmud