Dengbêj & Stranbêj – the epic song of Kurdistan

The Kurdish term dengbêj (composed of »deng« – voice and »bêj« – to tell) refers to poet-singers who perform at cultural events such as the Dîwan. Here, people in Kurdish villages gather in courtyards on holidays or after work to listen to the singers and relax. Dengbej Saîdê Goyî continues this tradition to this day. He doesn’t usually perform on concert stages - all the nicer that he is making an exception for the Elbphilharmonie. He will be accompanied on the long-necked tembûr lute by Ali Doğan Gönültaş, with whom he has recorded two albums in recent years. Emrah Ögüztürk plays the flute kaval and the mey, which is reminiscent of a clarinet.

Born in 1999, Sarya Ertaş also grew up with the tradition of Kurdish folk music: as the daughter of a Dengbêj, she began her vocal training at the conservatory at the age of twelve. Today she is a Stranbêj herself (the general term for a traditional singer) and sings lyrical and spiritual epic songs. In addition to performing in Turkey – often accompanied by Welat Tayfur on the piano – she has toured Europe as part of various ensembles.

The concert will be moderated by Marlene Schäfers, who teaches cultural anthropology at Utrecht University and whose research focuses in particular on the voice of Kurdish women in Turkey. This is also the subject of her book "Voices That Matter", which was published in 2022. In her moderations, Marlene Schäfers will also translate song lyrics.