Performance and Research Centre of the Music of Ottoman Period

                                                                 İ.Ü. OMAR

Darülelhan, the first official music institution of this country was established in the years of the First World War. It had performed an important role in the transfer of accumulated musical culture of the Ottomans into the cultural heritage of modern Turkey and the World at large. This institution became the Istanbul Municipal Conservatory after the proclamation of the Republic and was transformed into the State Conservatory of Istanbul University in 1986. Presently, this continues as the heir of a valuable tradition under the aegesis of the oldest university of this country.

In 2011 OMAR was established in the Istanbul University in order to execute the “performance-practice-education” dimensions of the classical Turkish music. Its statues were published in the official gazette (Resmî Gazete) on January 23, 2012. Aiming at the scholarly classification of the historical music heritage and its publication, OMAR in a sense continues the effords of the past Türk Musikisi Tasnif ve Tesbit Heyeti. Additionally, its Turkish Musical Theory Education Department which collected the most important musicologists, educators, composers and performers in recent history has been restructured and included now into the Istanbul University’s Musicology Department as the Chair of “Studies of Traditional and Modal Music”. The famous Türk Müziği İcra Heyeti (Performers Group of the Turkish Music) of the past, continues to give concerts and make recordings of various rare musical notes.

OMAR besides its regular research, publication and concert activities, organizes also an “International Turkish Music Summer School” as a certificate programme. In coming June the 3rd summer school will be realized.