Kara Güneş at VOXEL: Musics and Dances from Around the World

Just two weeks after opening Tapadum’s doors, we brought Kara Güneş to VOXEL in Faenza for the first evening of “Musiche e Danze dal Mondo” — a series celebrating music and dance traditions from across the globe.

Twenty-one people filled the room. One hundred twenty-four more had been thinking about it. For a Saturday evening in early November, the energy felt right — curious faces, open ears, and the kind of attention that musicians hope for but can’t count on.

The Trio: Santur, Oud, and Violin in Dialogue

That evening’s lineup brought together three instruments, three musical worlds, and a shared commitment to improvisation:

• Özgür Yalçın — Iranian santur, guitar
• Claudio Cadei — violin, lavta
• Marco Nervegna — oud, sitar

The program mixed original compositions from my ongoing project with traditional pieces from Anatolia and moments of pure, unscripted improvisation. What defines Kara Güneş is not a fixed setlist but a willingness to follow where the music wants to go. That night, we let it wander.

The santur — a hammered dulcimer with Persian roots — carried the melodic weight, its cascading notes weaving through Claudio’s violin and Marco’s oud. When Marco switched to sitar for one piece, the tonal palette shifted entirely, pulling the music toward the Indian subcontinent before circling back to the Mediterranean.

A Natural and Cultural Bridge

Kara Güneş was founded in Ankara in 1997 with a simple idea: Anatolia has always been a bridge — geographically, culturally, sonically — between East and West. The music we play reflects that. It does not try to resolve the tension between tradition and experimentation; it lives in it.

What characterizes the group is freedom in stylistic choices, a sense of experimentation in how we approach the material, and a search for interpretive vitality that feels alive, not archival. We are not a museum project. We are a working band.

VOXEL and the “Musiche e Danze dal Mondo” Series

VOXEL, a cultural hub in Faenza, opened its doors to us for this first evening of the series. The venue’s programming has long championed world music, contemporary performance, and cross-cultural exchange — values that align closely with what Tapadum is building.

For those who wanted to attend, reservations were recommended. The room filled. The music happened. And for two hours, a small corner of Faenza became a meeting point for sounds that rarely share the same stage.

Tapadum continues to perform and host concerts across the Romagna region. Explore our handcrafted instrument collection or follow our upcoming events.

Özgür Yalçın is the founder of Tapadum and the founding member of Karagüneş. He has performed ethnic and world music across Europe for over twenty-five years and builds custom instruments from Tapadum’s workshop in Brisighella, Italy.