HARP SIGHTING: ROBERT LABAREE PLAYING THE TURKISH CENG

Ethno-musicologist and performer Robert Labaree seen playing an Ottoman harp during a concert of music from Istanbul during the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1985, Labaree collaborated with the instrument-maker Feridun Özgören to create a contemporary version of the Ottoman microtonal harp, çeng. 

As a founding member of the EurAsia Ensemble from 1980 to 1995, Labaree performed and taught Turkish classical music across the U.S. His recordings with EurAsia Ensemble include Eski Dünya ile Sohbet (Conversations with the Old World), Istanbul on the Charles, and Boston Sema. His solo CD, Çengnağme (Song of the Harp), appeared in Turkey in 2001 on the Kalan label.