Asik Veysel and Turkish Music Chorus
On March 30, 2003, Washington DC Area Turkish Music and Choral Society, a newly formed cultural organization, arranged an event to celebrate the life of Asik Veysel, a prominent Turkish poet and folk singer, at National Naval Medical Center Memorial Auditorium, in Bethesda, Maryland. The choir, directed by Husnu Aydogdu, and accompanied by musicians played and sang Asik's famous songs, on his 30th Anniversary Commemoration. Washington, DC Turkish Folk Dance Troupe joined the event with spectacular dances from Sivas, the Anatolian city where Asik Veysel was born and lived, as well as dances from Thrace region, the part of Turkey that lies in Europe, the southern Balkans. The whole event was enjoyed by expatriates of Turkey, Turkish Americans and foreign guests, and created emotional and exiting moments to the audience of all ages.

The chorus was established in February 2003, and participated in this event with 14 members and 5 musicians playing traditional instruments such as baglama, divan, kemane, tambura, and ud. The group has been practicing new folk songs weekly in Washington, DC for community concerts in the area. For more information on the Turkish Music activities, please contact FatihCulha@hotmail.com or HurriyetOk@ya-hoo.com, or visit groups.yahoo.com/group/TurkMuzigiGrubu/ web site.

Istanbul Night, Turkish Delights--an Enchanting Evening
Sel Erder Yackley, The Turkish Times, MidWest Correspondent - Nearly 300 persons from 40 different countries attended the recent benefit gala for International Women Associates (IWA) at Chicago's Four Seasons Hotel recently, all expressing their delight with the evening's events. More