MEME: Talking with Lama and Taylan

Lama

     The Turkish concert of Middle Eastern Music Ensemble (MEME) of the University of Chicago is coming up this weekend: Saturday, November 23rd. As per usual, our Maestro Wanees Zarour has prepared and arranged wonderful selections. We have been practicing for seven weeks in preparation and are ready to go. The Turkish Concert, the first of the 2019 – 2020 season. In late winter, we have the Persian Concert and then the Arab Concert in the Spring. The orchestra is 40+ members strong we seem to get better with each performance. It is a real pleasure to be part of this ensemble of talented and warm-hearted people.
     For the fourth time I am writing about my fellow musicians. For this go around, I had a chance to sit and chat with one of talented violinists, Lama A. Kabir, and our versatile percussionist, Taylan Orhon.

How did you get into this music? Tell me your story. Was the music all around you when you grew up. Did you start off with middle eastern music or western music?

Taylan: When I was a kid in Turkey, I knew I was going to play the drums. I was exposed to some great bands playing at weddings and events. This was well before the digital keyboard era. I even knew if the band has a drummer or they use rhythm machine before I saw the band. When there was a real drummer, I would always going back behind the stage and watch the drummer with intense fascination. In fact, I still do this when I am at an event and there is a drummer playing on a stage.

Taylan and his mother, Tulay, at
a MEME Practice

When I was in high school, my brother and I wanted to play in a rock band. He was playing bass guitar and I was going to play the drums. The problem was I had no drum set. I bagged my mom to buy me a one. Back in Turkey in 80’s it was not easy to find a drum set. She could not say no; she knew that it was a crazy idea. However, she always supporting us especially when it came to music and eventually she let me buy the drum set. We had so many fun concerts in our town.

Even thought I started with Western music, we grew up with all kinds of Turkish music as a part of the culture. I learned more about the Turkish Classical music when my mom joined Classic Turkish Music Ensemble to play oud and sing in the choir. She was trying to teach me everything she learned but I was not paying too much attention at that time. But, I still took a usül (rhythm) lessons to learn how to play kudüm (drum) which is one of the fundamental Mevlevi music rhythm instruments.

Now it amazes me when I figure out all the different maqams and usüls. If you look at the technique, there are 9 microtones in between the notes which is called comma. This is what makes this music unique. The rhythm is also very important. There are wide variety of rhythms from 2/4 to 124/4 in Turkish music. If you listen to Ferahnak Pesrev by Tanburi Zeki Mehmet Aga, the rhythm is 120/4 “zencir usulü” which is combination of 5 different rhythms.

Lama: I’m a classically trained Arabic violinist and have been playing the violin for over twenty years. I grew up in a small town in Michigan where my love of all things classical began. As a kid, I felt like nothing could match the perfection of Vivaldi and Bach Violin Concertos. During those days, my parents always played traditional Arabic music at home and in the car, which I honestly was not too fond of. They would play the music of Fairuz and Um Kulthoum wherever we went, and I would try so hard to understand how they found beauty in a language so complex and tones that are so unfamiliar to the western ear.

Lama and part of the string section at a MEME Practice

Growing up, we often visited Syria and stayed with our relatives there for months at a time. We spent those days getting to know our extended family, exploring cities, and learning about our beautiful culture which ultimately had a profound impact on who I am today. While in Syria, I became increasingly captivated by Arabic culture and started taking Arabic violin, language, and music theory lessons as a result. It was then that I started understanding and appreciating the beauty and complexity of the Arabic language and maqamat which previously sounded so strange and unfamiliar to me! On our last trip to Syria, I was thrilled to attend live Sabah Fakhri and Ziad Rahbani Concerts, which further fueled my passion in Arabic music.

After returning to the US, I continued my passion in learning and performing Middle Eastern music everywhere I lived from Detroit, Michigan to San Francisco, California. Back in undergrad, I was an Arabic violinist in the Michigan Arab Orchestra, during dental school I played in the University of Chicago Middle East Music Ensemble, and in residency I had an incredible experience performing with the Aswat Ensemble in the San Francisco Bay Area. The director, Nabila Mango, had a very special influence on me. She inspired me to always have a deep sense of purpose behind every note that I play on my violin - to connect with my audience and build bridges to everyone’s hearts I perform for

Which of the three MEME concerts is your favorite (Turkish, Persian, or Arab)? How do you relate to the concerts that aren't part of your heritage?

Lama: Everyone who knows me can probably tell you, my personal favorite is the Arab concert because it reflects my heritage and it is such a precious opportunity to share my culture with the community. I also enjoy opening my mind and heart up to different cultures. Earlier this year my husband and I had the opportunity to visit the incredible city of Istanbul, Turkey and it made me fall in love with the beautiful Turkish culture, art, and music. Practicing for this upcoming Turkish Concert takes me back to my time there where I spent hours admiring the rich art and history of its people. I am excited to share it with the audience through music!

Taylan: I love them all. I can’t say one is more fun than another. Even they are all Middle Eastern music, they have all different nuances and unique style.  Obviously, I am much more familiar with the Turkish classical and folk music. MEME has allowed be to explore and learn more about each of these musical tranditions. When I play in Persian concert, I realized how deep and harmonic the Persian music is.

What is it like to be part of MEME?

Taylan: To me MEME is not just a music ensemble. It is a great social group in every way. Music is a most wonderful way to connect with people. I do not see the rehearsals as a practices. It is like social therapy. Imagine you are here with all the amazing people who want to make music. During the rehearsal, I absolutely disconnect from the world and focus on music.

Taylan having some fun with
the timpani... before practice

Certainly part of it because working with Wanees. He sets the tone both socially and musically. He is an incredible musician with a lot of music knowledge. He understands both Western and Eastern music and successfully stitches them together. It is not easy to bring the two different sides and expect them to play Saba maqam together. In Western classical music, it is what you see and what you play in the sheet music. When you perform Middle Eastern music, you kind of follow the sheet music but also play with ear simultaneously.

Lama: When I first joined MEME back in 2014, I remember being nervous about what to expect, but with each year that I have played with MEME I have found nothing but the warmest sense of belonging where everyone treats you like family! I learn so much about music and cultures, and always look forward to ensemble rehearsals every single week. It is the evening where I can forget all the stresses of life, connect with people from every walk of life, and continue to do what I love. Wanees has always been so passionate about MEME, from the countless hours of he spends writing musical arrangements, programs, patiently teaching us about music theory behind the pieces, putting up with the challenges of getting so many people together in one place to share a love of Arabic, Turkish, and Persian music -he has been an amazing and dedicated director from the start! 

Tell us a bit about your day job and other hobbies. 

Lama: You would probably never guess it but during the day, I am a dentist! I help bring beautiful smiles to people’s faces for a living and I love every bit of it. There are many similarities between the manual dexterity of a dentist’s intricate work and the meticulous technique and hand-eye coordination of playing the violin. Every day, I translate the manual dexterity skills that I have been developing on the violin for the last twenty years into a career that allows me to replace pain with bright smiles in the people that I meet- just like playing the violin does with my audience!

I love the arts whether it be oil painting, interior decorating, learning to play qanun and cello, taking salsa dance classes with my husband, getting lost in art museums, or attending concerts - I always try to do something creative and purposeful with my time!

Taylan: I am the lead store design manager at Ulta Beauty headquarters. I love this work which is another amazing way to express my creativity.

I do not see music as a hobby. It is part of my life and that is what we try to give our daughter. My other passion is photography. It is great feeling to see the world through my lens. It reflects how I see the world. I love taking street and portrait photography to reveal scenes that most people don’t see. 

     I greatly appreciate Lama and Taylan taking the time to speak with me. It was amazing to read how they both related to our practices as being a temporary respite from whatever else is going on in our lives. It is indeed a time to focus on music and the camaraderie of playing in this wonderful ensemble. As much as this is true for the practices, the concert is even a step beyond that simply by adding an audience, which adds more energy to the experience. Come to a concert and get a taste of what Taylan and Lama have graciously expressed about the MEME here.