Neşe (“Joy”)
Mutluluk (“Happiness”)
“Prisms of the Bosporus” Concert Program September 16th, 2024
Çeçen Kızı (“Chechen Girl”)
Gürcü Kızı (“Georgian Girl”)
Rami El-Farrah, soprano saxophone
Berk Agar, guitar
Ethan Wickman, oud
Andrew Bergmann, bass
Matthew Adams, percussion
Ethan Wickman (b. 1973)
Yurdal Tokcan (b. 1966)
Tanburi Cemil Bey (1871-1916)
Yurdal Tokcan (b. 1966)
Nicole Cherry, violin
Ethan Wickman, oud
Ş
edd-i Araban Saz Semaisi: “Little Pine Hill”
Rast Saz Samaisi: “Huzur” (“Serenity”)
Ethan Wickman, oud
Ethan Wickman (b. 1973)
Yurdal Tokcan (b. 1966)
Girdim Yarin Bahçesine (“I Entered the Garden”) Traditional Azerbaijani
Sermed Mahmud, voice
Berk Agar, guitar
Ethan Wickman, oud
Longa Riad Riad Al-Sunbati (1906-1981)
Longa Houdetsi
Ethan Wickman (b. 1973)
Hıcaz Mandıra Lavtacı Andon (d. 1915)
Linda Jenkins, flute
Nicole Cherry, violin
Berk Agar, guitar
Ethan Wickman, oud
Andrew Bergmann, bass
Matthew Adams, percussion
Prisms of the Bosporus: Memories Refracted from a Year in Istanbul
We emerged from the jetway into the spacious but dated corridor of the arrivals hall at Sabiha Gökçen International Airport on the last day of July. Although we could see the white crescent moon and star abreast the crimson Turkish flags flailing from Istanbul’s many windy hilltops on our descent, the air on the ground was thick with the weighted heat of summer. After two weeks in Greece, the latter of which we spent in an infernal Athens, we had looked forward to some respite in this ancient city straddling the Bosporus straits. The Bosporus that sliver of ocean bifurcating the world right down its middle: Black Sea to the north; Sea of Marmara and Mediterranean to the south; Asia to the east; Europe to the west could do little to curb the atmospheric insistence of late July. We quickly learned that the best place to stay cool in those days was a lazy few minutes on the upper shaded decks of the ferry boats rumbling out of the docks of Üsküdar across the Bosporus toward Beşiktaş or up the Golden Horn to Eminonu, just a few hundred yards from the Spice Bazaar. Traversing swift currents and rocking in the wakes of the massive tankers lumbering toward the Black Sea, I always viscerally felt a suspension of time and space. From the straits you could see a city forging a future while reckoning with its past: massive suspension bridges, domes and minarets of the hundreds of mosques each a variation on the theme of Emperor Justinian’s great domed basilica, the Hagia Sophia. Beyond the remains of Ottoman era waterfront mansions once belonging to the Sultan’s Pashas, there were radio towers, skyscrapers, a state-of-the-art soccer stadium. For the few moments on the water, we floated the distance between East and West. Just as with the swirling blue-grey depths beneath our feet, the viscous currents from each continent, their peoples, their sensibilities, their stories, gods and myths, mingled and stirred. Stirred perhaps in the way that the clanging cymbals of the Janissary bands at the gates of Vienna piqued then possessed European sensibilities of the 17th century; stirred in the way that the vocal intonations of Byzantine liturgy floated through the doors of the Hagia Sophia out into the night, into the streets and across the plain toward the encamped Ottoman armies of Mehmet the Conqueror; stirred as with the supplications wafting up like incense yearning for the approbation of Apollo, then Jesus, then Allah.
For the better part of last year, my wife, Patricia, and I lived in Istanbul. For me, this was the latest step in a years-long journey to re-orient and reignite my creative sensibilities by immersing them in musical systems of the East as expressed on one of its oldest instruments, the oud. Twice a week for a school year, I spent two hours with Yurdal Tokcan, one of the world’s foremost performers and composers of the instrument. Yurdal became a dear friend and mentor who took most seriously the duty he felt to pass on an art form handed down from master to student through generations. His learned lineage, passed down through the meşk (apprenticeship) system dates back well into the Ottoman era of the 19th century and beyond. The generosity and trust he demonstrated by taking on a student who spent his childhood in the nethermost part of the West the California coast can hardly be overstated. And yet, this is precisely the kind of magic that serendipity has always brought to this place, where distant winds, currents, seas and songs converge into a mellifluous hum, here in this very middle of the world.
BIOS
Matthew Adams practices Entertainment Law in San Antonio, Texas. Adams represents talent; his clients include musicians, authors, film producers, artists, professors, teachers, students, and business entities. He regularly represents and counsels clients in the areas of copyright law, intellectual property, licensing, contract formation and negotiation, business entity and formation, and estate planning. Adams is an adjunct professor of music at the University of Incarnate Word, where he teaches Entertainment Law. Prior to entering the legal profession, Adams worked in higher education as a professor of music and an administrator. Matthew Adams earned his Bachelor of Science in Music Education at West Chester University, His Master of Music in Music Performance with a related field in Musicology from the University of North Texas, and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Saint Mary's University. Adams is a member of the Entertainment and Sports Law, Intellectual Property Law, Computer and Technology, and Alternative Dispute Resolution sections of the State Bar of Texas.
Berk Agar, born in Izmir, Turkey, began his classical guitar studies in middle school. He pursued music theory and composition at Del Mar College and earned a Bachelor's in Classical Guitar Performance from Texas A&M University under Philip Hii. In 2011, he entered the graduate program at the University of Texas at San Antonio, studying with Dr. Matthew Dunne, and completed his Master’s in Guitar Performance in 2014.
Berk has led and performed with bands like Mundo and Viatorum, releasing albums such as A New Beginning (2009), Oyun (2011), and Road Trip (2021), collaborating with Grammywinning drummer Mark Walker. He recorded with the Turkish band Insiyatif on their Hayat album and released a single, "Serendipity," in 2016. In 2018, he became the director of Northside Music School and founded the Institute of Musical Arts of San Antonio.
He published Fundamentals of Classical Guitar in 2020 and regularly serves as a juror at the Southwest Guitar Symposium. A member of the San Antonio Guitar Society, he has been endorsed by Pitbull string company. In 2024, Berk was recommended as a Grammy Voting Member and invited to perform at the NAMM convention. He continues to perform with Viatorum, Gypsy Caravan, Cello Vida, and as a soloist.
Andrew Bergmann writes and produces music, plays bass, and serves as Assistant Professor of Music Production, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship and Coordinator of the Music Industry Studies program at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio.
Andrew grew up in Massachusetts and has lived, traveled, and performed across Europe and North America. His original jazz group Sued Nandayapa Bergmann Saunders has released four albums on the Mexico City record label Ropeadope Sur. Other ongoing projects that Andrew codirects include the San Antonio Ambient Orchestra, Ghorar Deem Express, and Troglodytes. Andrew has also played acoustic bass on recent releases by Azul Barrientos, Aaron Prado,
Viatorum, Cory Wong, and Chris Guerrero while producing recent releases by Aaron Walker and Dan Carillo.
Andrew holds a B.A. in music from Brown University, a Second Phase Degree in jazz double bass performance from the Amsterdam Conservatory, and PhD in music composition from the University of Minnesota.
Dr. Nicole Cherry is the Assistant Professor of Violin at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and a violinist with the award-winning Marian Anderson String Quartet. A distinguished performer and educator, Dr. Cherry has toured and taught across the globe, including a solo tour of the Middle East and South Africa. During her time in South Africa, she performed for Queen Noor of Jordan and shared her music with underdeveloped townships in Johannesburg during the era of Apartheid.
Versatile in various musical styles, Dr. Cherry has collaborated with a wide range of artists, from members of the Juilliard String Quartet to the late Whitney Houston. Her performances have graced prestigious venues such as the Library of Congress and Carnegie Hall, and she has been featured at renowned festivals and conferences worldwide. With the Marian Anderson String Quartet, she has received numerous accolades, including the MLK Jr. C.O.R.E. Award for outstanding service and achievement in the arts.
Dr. Cherry's award-winning research on the 19th-century Afro-European violin virtuoso, George Bridgetower, has led to performances at some of the world’s most prestigious institutions, with recent concerts and lectures in Australia, England, and Canada. This research has also inspired the commissioning project "Forge with George," which engages contemporary composers. One notable work includes Berklee College composer David Wallace’s 2017 piece, "The Bridgetower," a multifaceted work for speaking, singing, rapping, and solo violin, featuring text from Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Rita Dove’s book "Sonata Mulattica."
Dr. Cherry received her education from the University of Maryland, Peabody Institute of Music, Shepherd School of Music, and Texas Tech University. As a graduate alumnus of the Juilliard School, she was featured in the Juilliard Journal’s 100th-anniversary issue, "A Quiet Revolution: Juilliard Alumni and the Transformation of Education in America Through the Arts."
Dr. Rami El-Farrah is a concert saxophonist best known for his work as a soloist and member of the Zenith Quintet, Bel Cuore Quartet and the Austin Saxophone Ensemble. As an awardwinning soloist and chamber musician, Dr. El-Farrah has performed across the United States and throughout Europe. Dr. El-Farrah has been featured on several musical albums, as well as new albums with Bel Cuore Quartet and Austin Saxophone Ensemble. In addition to concertizing Dr. El-Farrah teaches saxophone at The University of Texas at San Antonio, where he also leads the university’s saxophone ensemble and teaches Jazz History.
Linda Jenkins is an ardent collaborative musician and teacher based in Texas, USA. She currently serves as Lecturer of Flute at the University of Texas at San Antonio as well as on the faculty of San Antonio College and can be heard playing with various performing groups, frequently working with local composers as a soloist and chamber musician. Vox Venti, her
Denton-based flute quartet, recently performed a program of new and classic works for flute quartet in the DFW area.
Linda has been named a finalist and winner in numerous flute and piccolo competitions across the United States. She recently received top prize in the 2023 Alexander&Buono International Flute Competition and was named a Quarterfinalist at the 2023 National Flute Association Young Artist Competition.
Currently, Linda is completing her Doctoral studies at UNT under Professor Terri Sundberg. Her previous teachers include Dr. Elizabeth McNutt, Amy Taylor, Dr. Conor Nelson, and Molly Barth.
Sarmad Mahmood is a vocalist, musician, and composer, born and raised in Tuz Khurmatu, Iraq. His passion for music began in childhood, though he only started formally learning and practicing music at the age of 22. Two years later, he took his musical journey more seriously after moving to Turkey, where he spent the next 10 years.
Sarmad is skilled in playing instruments such as the bouzouki and oud. In 2011, he won a competition for traditional Turkish music and later participated in the 2020 Turkvision Song Contest.
In addition to his music career, Sarmad holds a master’s degree in computer science from Gazi University in Ankara. He sings in multiple languages and has released several singles and music videos.
"A composer of facility and imagination, the kind to whom both performers and audiences respond" (The New York Times), composer and oudist Ethan Wickman's music has been performed in venues around the world. He has received grants and commissions from Barlow, Meet the Composer, the American Composers Forum, the Wisconsin Music Teachers Association, the Utah Arts Festival, Music in the Loft, Fulbright and others. He was awarded the Jacob Druckman prize at the Aspen Music Festival, first place in the Utah Arts Festival Chamber Commission Competition, and was a finalist in the 25th ASCAP Rudolf Nissim Orchestral Composition Competition, as well as a finalist for the American Prize.
He is a professor of composition and theory at the University of Texas at San Antonio, and holds degrees from Brigham Young University, Boston University, and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. From 2015-2020 he was Executive Director of the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition at Brigham Young University. A co-founder of the world folk music ensemble Viatorum, he studied oud with Egyptian virtuoso Ramy Adly, and with Yurdal Tokcan in Istanbul.