Chickering Salon Series
Makam to Mugham
Makam to Mugham is an intimate musical journey through the intertwined classical traditions of Türkiye and Azerbaijan. At the heart of the program are makam and mugham—closely related modal systems that shape melody, emotion, and improvisation, offering performers a rich musical language for both composed works and spontaneous expression.
Featuring Turkish vocalist Ezgi Kurt, Azerbaijani pianist Leyla Zeynalova, and multi-instrumentalist Volkan Efe on oud and other traditional instruments, the trio presents a program of instrumental and vocal works alongside improvisations that celebrate the shared heritage of these two neighboring cultures.
Through expressive melodies, poetic songs, and musical dialogue, Makam to Mugham invites audiences to discover the beauty, depth, and timeless artistry of Turkish and Azerbaijani classical music.
Musicians:
Ezgi Kurt - voice, drums
Leyla Zeynalova - piano, voice
Volkan Efe - oud, ney, tanbur, kanun and voice
Ezgi Kurt
Born in Istanbul, Ezgi Kurt is a singer specializing in the musical traditions of Anatolia and Asia Minor. She began her formal training at Turkish Radio and Television and Boğaziçi University Folk Music and Dance Club, and deepened her studies in voice development, mugham improvisation, and poetry with Cavit Murtezaoğlu. After moving to the United States, she expanded her musical language through Western classical and Hindustani music ensembles at UC Davis, embracing lifelong learning and continuing to deepen her artistic practice across traditions. As a performer and cultural worker, Ezgi has collaborated on global musical projects across the San Francisco and Boston areas, blending diverse world traditions through a genre-crossing approach rooted in cultural and spiritual depth.
Volkan Efe
Originally from central Turkey, Volkan Efe began playing the oud as a teenager under his father's guidance and performed extensively throughout high school and college. Since moving to the U.S. In 2002, Volkan performed with Turkish music ensembles in Washington, DC, Chicago, and Boston. Volkan’s musical work spans Turkish classical, folk, and ceremonial Ottoman traditions, with a special interest in the expressive and historical depth of the makam system. He is a recipient of The Boston Foundation LAB Grant and the Passim Iguana Fund, and curates the Makam Healing Project, the Crossroads of Sound, and the Bosphorus to Boston concert series. He also directs the Boston Meshk Ensemble, a Boston-based Turkish music chorus. Volkan has appeared at venues including MIT, Harvard, Tufts, public libraries, churches, and arts spaces throughout the Boston area. In addition to the oud, he performs on the ney, tanbur, kanun and kemençe.
IG: @efevolkan
Leyla Zeynalova
Boston-based musician Leyla Zeynalova is an internationally recognized pianist, educator known for her artistry, technical mastery, and dedication to musical excellence.
A laureate of some of the world’s prestigious piano competitions, Leyla has been awarded top prizes at the Ann & Charles Eisemann International Competition (USA), XIII International F. Chopin Competition (Estonia), The Young Pianist of the North Competition (United Kingdom), Riga International Piano Competition (Latvia), EPTA International Piano Competition (Belgium), Ettlingen International Piano Competition (Germany) among others. She has also been a national finalist of the MTNA Chamber Competition in the United States.
Her performances have taken her across Europe, the Middle East, and North America, with concerts in the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, Belgium, Poland, Latvia, Russia, Estonia, Georgia. She has performed as a soloist and a chamber musician at venues such as the F.Chopin Institute in Warsaw, the Grand Hall of the Tbilisi State Conservatory, Harvard University, MIT, Baku State Philharmonic Hall, Boston Public Library, the Yamaha Music Gulf in Dubai and many others. She has collaborated with renowned musicians and participated in major festivals, including “Moscow Meets Friends” by Vladimir Spivakov, “Music Academies of CIS and Baltic Countries” by Yuri Bashmet, as well as “Feuerwerk Academy” led by Gintaras Janusevicius.
Leyla is a prizewinner of EMCY (European Union of Music Competitions for Youth) and the recipient of numerous prestigious honors, including the Roman Totenberg Artistry Award (USA), Emerging Artist Award by the St. Botolph Foundation (USA), Longy Endowed Scholarship, and the Youth Award from the Republic of Azerbaijan. She was also awarded the Bärenreiter Urtext Award in Germany. Recognized for her artistic excellence, she was included in the “Golden Book” of young talents of Azerbaijan by Presidential decree and granted a special President Scholarship.
In 2022, she was invited by the F.Chopin Institute and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland to perform a solo recital in Zelazowa Wola, the birthplace of Frédéric Chopin.
A passionate chamber musician, she co-founded the Fabula Trio - an ensemble dedicated to exploring diverse chamber music repertoire and bringing unique musical interpretations to audiences worldwide. The Fabula Trio made its New York debut this May at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in May 2025.
Leyla is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate at Boston University College of Fine Arts on a full scholarship, where she also works as a Teaching Assistant. She is also the piano faculty and collaborative pianist of the Attacca School of Music and Cadence Conservatory, where she shares her passion for music with students of all levels.
