Huseyin Kaplan, Dursun Can Cakin

The ba?lama or saz (a plucked folk lute) is considered to be an emblem of Anatolian culture.

The name comes from the Turkish "ba?lamak", “to tie”, referring to the frets tied to the neck of the instrument. Alevism is a belief system found mainly in Anatolia, parts of the Balkans and Central Asia.

Alevi religious services, known as cem, include spiritual exercises incorporating elements of de?i? and semah (ritual dance). Both are accompanied by sung mystical poetry and the ba?lama. In this concert, Huseyin Kaplan and Dursun Can Cakin (both senior students of the Turkish ba?lama master, Erol Parlak) will be joined by an ensemble performing traditional music from Anatolian and Alevi de?i? folk music.