Music unites people of various nations

BALIKESİR – Anadolu Agency

AA photo

Turkey’s famous reed and baglama virtuoso, Ömer Faruk Tekbilek, says it is a gift from God that his team is made up of Greek, Armenian and Jewish musicians, as well as Turks. 

Synthesizing Eastern and Western melodies with folkloric and Sufi music in his works, Tekbilek is an internationally-acclaimed artist. 

Speaking at a recent concert in the theater of Asklepion in the ancient city of Pergamon in the western province of İzmir, Tekbilek said he was taking the stage with Greek, Jewish and Armenian reed masters, adding that the number of musicians in his team changed depending on the concert. 

Tekbilek said that the musicians from various nations were working with full team spirit and continued: 

“It is a gift from God for me that my musicians are from various nations. Besides three Greek musicians, I also have Armenian and Jewish musicians in my team during my work in the U.S. My Jewish musician friend is still living in Canada. My Armenian friend is not with us right now because he has things to do in the U.S. We were a complete team as Greek, Armenian, Jewish and Turkish musicians when we were constantly playing on stage. We are a model for other people. People created the thing that we call nationalism. But all of us are mankind and we experience this beauty with music.” 

Tekbilek also said that flute had an ethereal power, and explained: 

“When I am on the stage in concerts abroad, I generally start with hymns. Then I play romantic songs and then folkloric ones. We invite the artists of the country we play in and perform with them. Regardless of their religion, language or nation, we socialize with the listeners at our concerts. Of course reeds play a very significant factor in this.”

The musician said that after their performances in the U.S. and European concerts, listeners said they found peace. 

“After the concert, people visit us backstage and they hold me with tears, saying, ‘We don’t understand what you are saying but we feel it.’ They say they find peace,” Tekbilek said. 


Working on new album 

Tekbilek said that he could not perform too many concerts currently because he was working on a new album to be released in the coming months, and that he had been at home for six months working on it. 

However, he said, he would perform three concerts in Greece in Thessaloniki, Athens and Petra. “I will also go to Kuwait in September and then to Israel,” he added. 

Stating that music and dance should always be encouraged, the artist elaborated, “Because people come close to each other because of music and dance. Music is our last hope as mankind.”