Last year in May, when I received Ali Doğan Gönültaş’s digital album, Kiğı, his voice and his music captured me. I felt compelled to talk to him to explore the possibility of a collaboration.
It was clear to me that there would be some challenges… The increasing cost of transport, the visas… Even his English was almost inexistent when I travelled to Vienna for his concert in September! But the music and the talent were more powerful than all that.
A little over a year has passed. Ali and his band have performed in 2023 in Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and Spain. The concerts have been adapted to indoor and outdoor formats, captivating audiences in both contexts.
He has given a three-day workshop for teachers in Valencia (here ⬇️ you can see him with his students).
We have made a physical CD of his album. We have made a video of a performance commissioned by the Library of Congress of the USA.
Today, 18th of August, they will play in Dersim, the cultural capital of their homeland.
On Sunday 20th they travel to France for a tour of 10 concerts, until September 1st (full schedule, here). And, after France, Ali will perform at the Fira Mediterrània in Manresa, at the Fundação Gulbenkian in Lisbon and has a tour in Germany between 7 and 27 November (thanks to alba Kultur), which includes the iconic Elbphilarmonie auditorium in Hamburg ➡️ (complete program, here).
In December, Ali will record his second album. We already have some plans for 2024 and we are working on the bookings, so contact me if you need any info!
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All this encourages me to keep working and I wanted to share it with you. If you want more, keep watching below where you have a couple of videos. And visit the official website. Thanks for your attention.
Araceli Tzigane +34676302882
Video-summary of the Spanish premiere: Festival Polirítmia, Valencia, 5 July (GVA Cultura), video by Carles Desfilis. Click to watch it:
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“Inoubliable voix du musicien et chanteur kurde Ali Doğan Gönültaş… Elle vibre de tous les trésors musicaux d’Anatolie orientale, ivres de leur propre beauté; […] Un étonnant voyage intemporel, sur l’aile des innombrables mélodies nées en la mirifique ville de Kiğı, creuset des mélodies et des peuples.”
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“Fa deu anys que fa treball de recerca a la seva terra natal i la zona d’influència, amb una motivació d’investigació de la tradició oral que ha evolucionat cap a un treball de memòria musical. El resultat està recollit al magnífic àlbum debut Kiğı, on l’emoció de la seva veu expressiva impregna les melodies oníriques de les cançons.”
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“O seu primeiro álbum, Kiği, tem por título o nome da localidade onde Gönültaş nasceu e é o corolário de dez anos de pesquisa de campo. Uma lógica de salvaguarda da tradição da região, à qual o músico empresta a sua voz de enorme expressividade, serpenteando por melodias ancestrais de uma beleza tocante.”
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Check the dates in Germany in November, HERE
Performance for the Library of Congress. Click to watch it:
I already imagined that Ali would be able to fly
