Discussing the Dönme with Artist and Researcher C.M. Kösemen (Part 1)
It is well known that the Ottoman Empire was a place of incredible cosmopolitanism. What is often overlooked is the existence of “syncretic” peoples,...
La Bayadere: Fusing Russian Composition, French Moves and Indian Sultriness
I was introduced to La Bayadere some years ago, in 2007, back in the days when the AKM -- the Ataturk Cultural Center located...
In Conversation with the Sonikraf Team (Part 2)
In a continuation of my conversation with Matt Loftin, Utku Öğüt, Alper Erkut, Gabriel Clark and Paul Osterlund of Sonikraf, we discuss the history of the independent music scene in...
In Conversation with the Sonikraf Team (Part 1)
Searching for new music? Look no further! A group of independent musicians in Istanbul have launched Sonikraf.com, a site featuring reviews and links to...
Review of ISTrapped: Turkey’s First Room Escape Game
Istanbul is a city of countless sights and activities, which makes getting locked up in a room for an hour seem like a strange...
“The Water Diviner”: Dancing with the Last Samurai’s Braveheart Horse Whisperer
No, that headline is not a misprint. It was my impression upon seeing The Water Diviner (Son Umut), a new film that opened in...
Letters from Istanbul: Avenues & Interludes
One Saturday afternoon in the autumn of 2012, I was walking around Beyoğlu. I don’t spend much time on the European side of Istanbul,...
Joshua Bell: From Childhood Crush to Global Superstar and into Istanbul…
The year is 1990. I am a fifth grader at the American International School in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and a first year violin student...
Insider Trading: Culinary Walks with Gourmet Holidays
Everybody knows that Istanbul is full of history and culture, so what better way to experience it than by tasting your way through both?...
In Conversation with Improv Comedy Duo ‘Ephemerata’
Last week finally gave me an opportunity to visit the Zorlu PSM, a relatively new entertainment complex in the Zincirlikuyu district of Istanbul. Performing in...
In Conversation with Swedish Cultural Attaché Suzi Erşahin
As a dweller of Nişantaşı, I am lucky enough to be located in one of the centers of the Istanbul arts and cultural scene....
Parov Stelar and Oi Va Voi: A Proper Dance Party at...
A few months ago, I never would have believed that listening to a fusion of jazz and electronic music would be a pleasant or...
Rubber Walrus: Terrifyingly Sexual
There is something terrifyingly sexual about Rubber Walrus. This, in the same way that there is something terrifyingly sexual about being a seventeen-year-old boy,...
Review: Ane Brun @ Küçükçiftlik Park
With her Norwegian roots, amazingly unique covers and acoustic performances, Ane Brun took the audience to her somewhat sad but mostly peaceful musical world...
Violin’s Global Star Sarah Chang @ İş Sanat
There are certain names that you just cannot dismiss. And Sarah Chang is at the forefront of these names. YouTube has thousands of videos...
In Conversation with Filmmaker Mehdi Shabani (Part 2)
Anyone who has visited a kahvehane in Turkey has heard the sound of plastic dice dance across a wooden backgammon board. Though the game...
In Conversation with Filmmaker Mehdi Shabani (Part 1)
Are all places in the world becoming the same? In fifty years, will people only go to shopping malls, not bazaars? Will there only...
Review: Mashrou’ Leila @ Bronx Pi Sahne
On Friday, Nov. 28, a group of friends and I were getting pumped for a concert in Istanbul that we had all been looking forward...
Review: GoGo Penguin @ Salon IKSV
As a band name, 'GoGo Penguin' doesn't exactly carry the weight or edginess that one usually associates with a jazz trio. But as soon as...
Yabancı Abroad: When in Rome…Levitate
When we got off the bus at Rome’s Termini Stazion, the first thing we saw was an Istanbul Kebab Shop.
My girlfriend Ozge laughed at...
In Conversation with Duygu Etikan, Founder of the Istanbul Street Dance...
One of our contributors, Mustafa Çankaya, recently sat down to chat with Duygu Etikan, the founder and creative director of the International Istanbul Street Dance...
Dance of Fire with Ursula Lopez
The TIM Maslak Show Center is a venue that offers myriad alternatives, from ballet to modern circus to music of various genres. And several...
Life under Occupation: A Review of Eleni by Nicholas Gage
When Mosul was invaded in June, one of the first announcements made by ISIS was that the civilians within their territory would be treated...
The Kronos Quartet Crawls into Our Souls at the CRR
I remember very clearly the day that I was introduced to the Kronos Quartet. It was 1992 and I was in seventh grade. It...