Poetry & Music — Conversations through Verse and Melody
The Kenan Center for Turkish Cultural Studies invites you to its monthly series bringing poetry and music together. This month’s theme is Sublime Frequencies, offering a unique journey into how poetic language listens for sound and resonates with melody.
Event Details
Date: September 19, 2025 — 02:00 PM – 03:00 PM
Venue: Cambridge Public Library, Lecture Hall
Address: Williams Chapel, Harvard Divinity School 45 Fransis Avenue, Cambridge MA
Admission: Free and open to the public
Guest & Host
Kythe Letitia Heller, ThD will reflect on “Sublime Frequencies,” tracing connections across spiritual poetry. The session will be hosted by Dr. Arzu Eylül Yalçınkaya, guiding the dialogue between verse and melody.
Note: The session highlights the inner cadence of poetry in dialogue with music.
Istanbul Meshk Ensemble
The ensemble will present a brief selection from the Turkish classical and Sufi repertoire:
Arzu Yalçınkaya: Vocal, Bendir
Volkan Efe: Vocal, Ney, Kanun
Michael Harrist: Vocal, Yaylı Tanbur
İbrahim Algur: Vocal, Ud.
“When text and melody travel the same path, a timeless conversation begins.”
Program Flow
Time Session 02:00 PM Welcome & Opening 02:10 PM Talk by Kythe Letitia Heller 02:30 PM Istanbul Meshk Ensemble Performance 02:50 PM Dialogue: Poetry & Music 03:00 PM Closing
You are warmly invited!
Join us for an hour where verse and melody converge, creating a shared sense of presence through art.