Kayhan Kalhor and Erdal Erzincan
East Meets East: An Evening of Persian and Alevi Music
EVENT NOTES
Doors for this event will open at 6:00 PM. This event is approximately 90 minutes long.
Free and reduced cost tickets made possible in part by
This February, renown Iranian Persian musician Kayhan Kalhor returns to Town Hall for a performance of instrumental improvisation that nods to tradition while pushing its boundaries.
Kalhor, who plays a four-stringed Persian spiked fiddle (or bowed lute) called the kamancheh, is known for collaborations that allow him to explore beyond his comfort zone. In this special Oculus Series event, he is joined by Turkish Alevi folk musician Erdal Erzincan, who plays the bağlama (a stringed instrument in the oud family).
Both exquisite players inspired by the classical and folk traditions of the Middle East, Kalhor and Erzincan first partnered on the entirely improvised album, The Wind (2006), and have continued their musical for two decades. This live performance of two musical masters promises beautiful melodies and improvisations on traditional themes with virtuosic storytelling, creating a trance-like atmosphere that brings the rich courtly history of their respective instruments to life.
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Kayhan Kalhor is an internationally acclaimed virtuoso and widely recognized as the world’s leading master of the kamancheh, the Persian spike fiddle. A singular creative force in today’s global music landscape, he has played a central role in introducing and popularizing Persian classical music for audiences worldwide through both traditional performance and boundary-crossing collaboration. He has been deeply influenced by the regional musical traditions of Khorasan and Kurdistan. Kalhor is a co-founder of Dastan, Masters of Persian Music, Ghazal, and was an original member of Silkroad, founded by Yo-Yo Ma. His long-standing collaboration with Erdal Erzincan has resulted in two acclaimed albums and a body of pioneering work that bridges Persian and Alevi musical traditions. Additional collaborators include Brooklyn Rider, the Rembrandt Ensemble, and major orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic and Orchestre National de Lyon. A prolific composer, Kalhor has received commissions from the Kronos Quartet, Yo-Yo Ma, and Silkroad, and his recent works include the 2024 double concerto Venus in the Mirror. He is a three-time GRAMMY nominee and a GRAMMY winner with the Silkroad Ensemble, and the recipient of numerous international honors recognizing his cultural impact.
Erdal Erzincan is a Turkish Alevi folk musician, composer, and singer. In 1981, he moved to Istanbul and studied bağlama at the Arif Sağ music school in 1985. Since 1989, he has been studying music at Istanbul Technical University. He has contributed to the development of the şelpe technique for playing bağlama without a plectrum, akin to guitar tapping. During his career, he has worked with Turkish folk musicians Tolga Sağ, İsmail Özden, Yılmaz Çelik, Muharrem Temiz, Arif Sağ, and Erol Parlak.
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