Burak – from Turkey to Slovenia

Singing Practice in a Turkish Ambience – Slovenian Choir Ljubljanski Madrigalisti inviting the Turkish Conductor Burak Onur Erdem

Divane Aşık Gibi | Folk Song from the Black Sea region, arr. Walter Strauss

In the third week of April 2019 our singing practice had a Turkish touch to it. The Turkish melody resonating from the folks’ song Divane Asik Gibi (Crazy in love) which our choir has been studying were not the only reason for that. The special atmosphere was created by a visit of a renowned Turkish conductor Burak Onur Erdem. 

Mr Onur Erdem is a distinguished conductor, who studied music theory & conducting in Istanbul Technical University Center for Advanced Studies and is currently a PhD Candidate with his dissertation Efficiency in Rehearsal: A Study on in Choral Conducting Methodology. He is the principal conductor of Turkish State Choir and a member of the European Choral Association – Europa Cantat (ECA-EC) and International Federation of Choral Music (IFCM).

So for one evening our conductor Klara joined us singers and let Mr Burak take over the baton and lead our choir into 3 hours of amazing music making. He introduced new singing methods and made sure our diaphragm was constantly active in a different way than ever before. We felt deeply the new perspective on music we studied before. By the end of the practice the singing room was filled with Turkish melodies and good vibes. The positive spirit continued into the night and the merry singing did not cease when the singers and our conductor for the day moved into a nearby bar and sang our hearts away.

We shall cherish this wonderful international and multicultural experience and hope to meet Burak again soon. Next time perhaps in Istanbul :o)

Chamber Choir Ljubljanski Madrigalisti