Hasankeyf – Celebrating an Ancient Civilization

 When/Where?

Saturday , January 18th , 2020
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
$30 - $40
Small World Music Centre
180 Shaw Street, Studio 101 , Toronto
Presented by Shahriyar Jamshidi.

Living timeless along with echoes of the mountains, while the edges of the higher peaks with their silver necks hide inside the greyish clouds “Our Melody” comes into existence and moves smoothly from the Sunrise-land through the Sunset territory, spreads the songs of millions who are living isolated in the overshadowed geographical borders. Please join us to live with melodies of the KURDS. We are commemorating “Hasankeyf” one of the world oldest Kurdish civilization architectural cites where will be flooded due to the completion of the Turkish dam soon.

Burhan Berken is a legendary Kurdish singer and Guitar player who combines Kurdish traditional music with Bossa Nova, Country and Ska style in his works. He was born in the Kurdish city Diyarbakir, Turkey in 1969, and raised in a musician family mostly Dengbej (storyteller and singer) where he has inherited his talent and musical insight. Singing Kurdish historic love songs, he is preserving Kurdish Kurmanji, the language that has been prohibited in Turkey for decades. He released three albums, Ba (2001), Jar Ü Evin (2004) and Evar (2011). Since his arrival in Canada in 2018, he has performed at Canadian Alevi Culture Centre and several shows at Toronto’s Burdock hall. This upcoming concert at Small World Music Centre will be his performance for broader audiences.



Shahriyar Jamshidi, a Kurdish-Iranian kamanche player, composer, vocalist, is well known for his creative and masterful kamanche improvisations, both as a soloist and in ensembles, his recent collaboration with esteemed Canadian an American musicians have helped integrate the Kamanche (Persian Fiddle) into new musical contexts. He has devoted his artistic career to the preservation and transmission of the Kurdish musical heritage. Since settling in Canada in 2012, he has consistently sought new musical languages, thereby crossing cultures with his Kamanche recitals. Shahriyar has performed in Azerbaijan, Armenia, Iran, Switzerland, Netherlands, the United State and several Canadian stages and festivals including Windsor Symphony Orchestra, Gros Morne Music Festival, Newfoundland, Toronto’s Tirgan Festival, Festival du Monde Arabe de Montréal and Aga Khan Museum concert series. His past released include four solo albums (Alvanati, Call of the Mountains, A Yellow Flower, and The Lullaby of A Nomad) as well as Meet Me In Tangier, Kamancello, and Kamancello II: Voyage.

Advance General Admission "ONLINE": $30
At the Venue "CASH ONLY": $40 / Seniors and Students: $30

Doors: 5:30 PM / Show: 6:00 PM


Join the Facebook event here. Follow Shahriyar on Facebook / Twitter / @dilanensemble







Upcoming Events

Saturday January 18th,
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM