 | contacts |
| jazz | ||
|
Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol invents new digital microtonal keyboard The 3D printed Renaissance 17 (R17), invented and patented by Grammy-nominated New England Conservatory faculty member Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol, marks a revolutionary step in instrument making. “I am thrilled to introduce this digital microtonal keyboard to the world, ” says Sanlıkol. “It’s a dream come true and I love using it. I’m also excited that other musicians will soon be able to play their own 3D printed versions of it.” Sanlıkol’s invention is featured on his forthcoming new album, 7 Shades of Melancholia, due out April 25, 2025 via DÜNYA. He premiered the wooden prototype two years ago during a concert in Boston, and offered a sneak peek of the new, 3D printed version at a private concert in Turkey in January 2025. For the past year Sanlıkol has collaborated with Ted Sirota, head engineer at Harvard University’s 3D lab, to perfect this version of his digital microtonal keyboard with 17 keys per octave, which is now patented. On March 26, 2025 the 3D version of the instrument will be premiered in concert at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall. Sanlıkol, a multi-talented, genre-melding multi-instrumentalist, created the Renaissance 17 to bridge the diverse musical sources that inspire and inform his work. Between classical piano studies as a child and a doctorate in composition and jazz studies from New England Conservatory, Sanlıkol performed in progressive rock bands, attended Berklee College of Music to study jazz composition and film scoring, and intensely studied the musical styles of his native Turkey. “I believe that individuals who truly internalize multiple musical languages are less likely to exoticize, stereotype, or reduce those traditions, ” says Sanlıkol. “This is perhaps because such individuals tend to be better musical translators between different musical languages.” With the Renaissance 17 added to his musical toolbox, Sanlıkol continues to explore the concept of genre and revolutionize what music can be, and how it can be made. 3D printed copies of the Renaissance 17 will be available for sale soon. Grammy nominated Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol hails from Cyprus and Turkey and is a jazz pianist, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and ethnomusicologist as well as full-time faculty member at New England Conservatory. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in April 2016 premiering his commissioned piece Harabat/The Intoxicated with the American Composers Orchestra, and has received numerous awards including the South Arts Jazz Road Creative Residency Grant in 2021, the Aaron Copland Fund for Music Grant in 2016 and 2020, and the New Music USA Grant in 2020 and 2024. He has earned international critical praise for his pluralist, multicultural, and unique voice, including in The Boston Globe: “[Sanlıkol’s] music is colorful, fanciful, full of rhythmic life, and full of feeling…he is another who could play a decisive role in music’s future in the world.” Sanlıkol has worked with artists including Dave Liebman, Bob Brookmeyer, Antonio Sanchez, Anat Cohen, Ingred Jensen, Tiger Okoshi, Miguel Zenón, John Patitucci, Esperanza Spalding, The Boston Camerata, A Far Cry, and many others. Sanlıkol pairs Turkish instruments such as zurna (double reed wind), ney (end-blown flute), kös (large kettledrums) and nekkare (small kettledrums) with the jazz orchestra/combo to perform his Turkish music-influenced compositions, in which Turkish makam (mode) and usul (rhythmic cycles) are intertwined with modern jazz as well as specifically film noir influenced music. To achieve the same goal on keyboard instruments he invented the SANLIKOL Renaissance 17, a digital microtonal keyboard. Sanlıkol is the president of DÜNYA, a musicians’ collective dedicated to contemporary presentations of Turkish traditions, alone and in interaction with other world traditions, through musical performance, publication, and educational activities. Since its founding Sanlıkol has produced, performed and delivered talks at over two hundred DÜNYA events. Sanlıkol actively delivers papers and talks at academic conferences such as International Conference on Analytical Approaches to World Music and Society for Ethnomusicology. Sanlıkol’s first book, entitled The Musician Mehters, about the organization and the music of the Ottoman Janissary Bands has been published during 2011 in English by The ISIS press and in Turkish by Yapı Kredi Yayınları. His second book, entitled Reform, Notation and Ottoman music in Early 19th Century Istanbul: EUTERPE, was published by Routledge in 2023. Currently, he is the director of New England Conservatory’s Intercultural Institute and the project director and curator of Nilüfer Municipality Dr. Hüseyin Parkan Sanlıkol Musical Instruments Museum. About New England Conservatory (NEC) Founded by Eben Tourjée in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1867, New England Conservatory (NEC) represents a new model of music school that combines the best of European tradition with American innovation. The school stands at the center of Boston’s rich cultural history and musical life, presenting concerts at the renowned Jordan Hall. Propelled by profound artistry, bold creativity, and deep compassion, NEC seeks to amplify musicians’ impact on advancing our shared humanity and empowers students to meet today’s changing world head-on, equipped with the tools and confidence to forge multidimensional lives of artistic depth and relevance. The Conservatory’s roster of alumni includes hundreds of music's most influential artists. That list includes Coretta Scott King, Florence Price, Tessa Lark, George Li, Inmo Yang, Yura Lee, Stefan Jackiw, Anthony Leon, Erica Petrocelli, Minsoo Sohn, Cecil Taylor, and Denyce Graves. As an independent, not-for-profit institution that educates and trains musicians of all ages from around the world, NEC is recognized internationally as a leader among music schools. It cultivates a diverse, dynamic community, providing music students of more than 40 countries with performance opportunities and high-caliber training from 225 internationally esteemed artist-teachers and scholars. NEC pushes the boundaries of music-making and teaching through college-level training in classical, jazz, and contemporary musical arts. The newly launched Institute for Concert Artists propels such young artists as Yunchan Lim and Joshua Brown to the heights of their potential. Through unique interdisciplinary programs such as Entrepreneurial Musicianship and Community Performances & Partnerships, the Conservatory empowers students to create their own musical opportunities. As part of NEC’s mission to make lifelong music education available to everyone, NEC’s Expanded Education programs deliver training and performance opportunities for children, pre-college students, and adults. |
| |
| jazz | ||
© 2007 | ||