Oghlan Bakhshi: Journey Across the Steppes of Central Asia and Iran

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC | The Bennington College Carriage Barn Music Series presents the Oghlan Bakhshi: Journey Across the Steppes of Central Asia and Iran.  An entrancing program of Turkmen music featuring an ensemble of virtuoso musicians.

This concert features Mohammad Geldi Geldi Nejad, known as Oghlan Bakhshi, in an entrancing program of Turkmen music—rarely heard in the United States. Oghlan Bakhshi, a virtuoso dutar (two-stringed lute) player and bard, trained under acclaimed masters and is the first indigenous Turkmen musician to introduce the rich traditions of Turkmen music to Western audiences. At the age of ten, he was awarded the title “Oghlan Bakhshi” by a council of Turkmen music masters, becoming only the second person in the past century to receive this prestigious honor, which recognized him as a prodigious child bard. Most recently, he released his new album, Journey Across the Steppes, the first international release of Turkmen folk music in 30 years.

He is joined by two special guests: his father, Abdolghaffar Geldinejad, a leading maestro of the gyjak (spike fiddle) who honed his craft under the tutelage of master Turkmen musicians in both Iran and Turkmenistan and introduced audiences worldwide to the vibrancy of Turkmen music, and his wife, Zyyada Jumayeva, an exceptional dutar player and bard from Turkmenistan who was trained by women bards in Turkmenistan and represents the female bardic tradition of Turkmens. 

The program features a wide range of Turkmen songs based on romantic and heroic epics, as well as lyrics by renowned poets of the 18th and 19th centuries. Zyyada Jumayeva sings traditional folk songs and laments that capture the unique experiences and emotions of women.

The concert also includes instrumental pieces from the dutar and gyjak repertoires.

“Through his passionate renditions and profound musical expressions, he has emerged as a leading exponent and ambassador of the Turkmen musical heritage” – World Music Central

Website: oghlanbakhshi.com

Instagram: @benningtonmusic