Emergence of an Orchestra From Roma Neighborhood

As Sulukule - Istanbul’s former Roma people district - has been destroyed by the urban transformation projects, its children have now grown up and founded the Youth Orchestra (Gençlik Orkestrası). 

In 2010, a local initiative gave birth to Sulukule Children Art Studio as urban renewal projects dislocated Istanbul’s Roma people from their 500 year-old homes. The studio rose in the ashes of the destroyed neighborhood in a three-storied historical building.

Roma children already have grown up with music. They gave their first great concert as sub-group of Simon Bolivar Youth Symphonic Orchestra. They started to perform in and out of Turkey afterwards.

Now that they have become more and more professional, they founded a hip-hop band called “Tahribad-I İsyan”. This group emerged as Turkey’s first hip-hop theater. 

"I want to perform jazz"

The children from Art Studio have founded Sulukule Youth Orchestra now with their repertoires on Balkan melodies.

Formed of 14 members, the band includes play violin, violoncello, keyboard, zither and percussion. While the members have rehearsed for 6 months, they will give their first concert in İstanbul Technical University on Thursday.

Tolgahan Severler, a 15 year-old boy, is the youngest of the Orchestra. He has been playing percussion for 6 years. According to him, he is “professional for 3 years.”

The first and the greatest teacher of him is his percussionist father. 

“My great great great grandfather played percussion, too. Kind of a genetic heritage,” said Tolgahan.

He is in first degree in High School but his only aim is to attend to conservatoire.

"The music is indispensable for us. I cannot live without playing darbuka. Even when I watch soap operas or surf on the internet, I always perform. The musical instrument is a betrayer. It can betray you. If you don’t perform for two days, it leaves you. You forget everything.”

Tolgahan is not unhappy at all for being the youngest one. He smiles and says he will surpass his elders. 

Since he was 10 he has been going to concerts with his father. He is happy to have met Turkey’s best musicians. His aim now is show himself abroad. 

“Balkan music is similar to Roma People’s ⁹/₈ rhythm music but there are differences between them. We learn new sounds. It is good. We already perform Turkish Classical Music and Rock etc. I want to perform jazz, too.

It is time to show ourselves

Onur Kayaroğlu, a 19 year-old boy plays violin. His father is also a musician.

“We seem just children before. But now we look a great orchestra. We are more professional,” Onur said.

He was very impressed with their concert in Italy last year.

"Italian boys and girls found very interesting Turkish Classical Music, zither, etc. They liked it very much. It was fun. We were in abroad for the first time.”

Onur attends to Open High school. His aim is to attend to conservatoire like Tolgahan.

He wants to show himself and perform with famous Turkish singers like Kibariye (a Turkish singer with Roma origin)

"Neighborhood’s last generation”

Funda Oral, project coordinator said these children is the last generation of Sulukule since the government destroyed their neighborhood. Their link to music was about to break.

“Families in Sulukule earned their money from street wedding ceremonies etc. before. But along with the urban transformation, these traditions have died. We must look after this orchestra and support it. These children have nothing but music. The more they are professional the better it becomes because they were the last examples of their generation.”

Oral added the children made up their repertoires along with Balkan music in order to meet Roma people live in Balkans. (NV/BD/BM)

* The concert will take place at 20:00 pm in İstanbul Technical University Maçka Campus on 10 April. Entry is free but donations are also welcome.

* Click here to read the article in Turkish.