Cultures mingle in new coffeehouse opera in Rockport this weekend
by Gail McCarthy
Gloucester Times, June 8, 2016
Worlds collide in a coffeehouse opera this weekend that weaves a tale inspired by William Shakespeare’s tragedy “Othello” with a Turkish twist and…
More reviews of Othello in the Seraglio here
Reviews of Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol & Whatsnext? here
Rooted in world music
by Erica Thompson
The Boston Globe, May 29, 2012
Who: Mehmet Ali Sanlikol, What: Sanlikol is the director of DÜNYA, a nonprofit organization concerned with developing and learning about world music. DÜNYA took the stage at…
Early Music Groups Gear Up for Alexander the Great
by Alexander Varty
Georgia Straight, April 11, 2012
Advance word on Alexander the Great: Hero, Warrior, Lover is that it’s a collaboration between an acclaimed early-music group, the Boston Camerata, and an equally admirable Turkish-American ensemble, Dünya. The truth is a little more complex than that…
The Music of Istanbul’s Inhabitants – a journey in time
by Aaron Howard
Jewish Herald-Voice, December 29, 2011
Many people know that Istanbul was the capital of the Ottoman Empire for five centuries. But, most forget the city also was capital of the Roman (Byzantine) Empire before that for 10 centuries. Thus, if one wanted to explore Istanbul’s many-layered communal history through music, you’d have to start with Greek Orthodox Church and Byzantine secular music. Then, one might visit Crusader songs…
Dunya Ensemble Traces 1000 Years of Istanbul Music on a Massive Double Album
by delarue
Lucid Culture, November 30, 2011
Boston-based Turkish music group Dunya Ensemble has two new double albums out. The first of these is the lavish A Story of the City: Constantinople, Istanbul, a dreamlike, surreal and sometimes ghostly creation…
A Masterful Voyage through the Musical History of Istanbul
by Aromero
World Music Central, October 18, 2011
One of the most interesting releases scheduled for November 2011 is the two CD set titled A Story of the City…
Dunya
A Story of the City: Constantinople Istanbul
by David Luhrssen
Express Milwaukee, October 9, 2011
Istanbul, or Constantinople as it was known for much of its history, was always one of the crossroads of the world. As the place where Asia meets Europe and the Black Sea flows into Mediterranean, the city was the capital of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires…