Münir Beken

Münir Beken has distinguished himself as a performer, conductor, scholar, and composer. As conductor of the State Conservatory Orchestra of Istanbul, he recorded numerous television programs, including many of his own compositions. An accomplished master of the ud, Münir has performed with many eminent artists of Turkish classical music. Münir holds a PhD in Ethnomusicology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and has written articles for The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. In 2007 he was appointed Assistant Professor of Ethnomusicology at UCLA.

“I didn’t come from a musical family,” Münir shared with me. “But my father was an amateur singer. I was actually named after a famous singer of classical Turkish music.”

Beginning conservatory training at the age of 11, Münir navigated the usual courses of western music, “but I also was taught traditional Turkish music. I studied the ud as well as piano,” Münir explained. Composition also sparked Münir’s interest. “I knew from the beginning I wanted to compose. One of my teachers, who was about 80 at the time, had studied with Gabriel Fauré. He had great reactions to the work I brought into class.”

When an opportunity to work on a PhD at the University of Maryland came along, Münir left his various positions in Turkey, including working for the Ministry of Culture, to study in the U.S. After his PhD, Münir worked in New York at Siena College and at the University of Washington. “I was suddenly in academia!” Münir said with a laugh. “Coming to UCLA to join the ethnomusicology department was another great opportunity because it allowed me to still pursue my interests in composing and performing.”

Moving to Los Angeles with his son Tim, now 13 and who plays the electric guitar and violin, and wife Sally Hawkridge Beken, has been a good experience for the family. With degrees in drama, ethnomusicology, mathematics, Sally has worked as a computer specialist. “Now she’s writing novels,” Münir said, “and is part of the mariachi ensemble at UCLA, which she has a great passion for.”

For the work commissioned by Pacific Serenades, Münir composed Memories of a Shoehorn. “The shoehorn refers to the item my father always carried with him when he went to musical gatherings at other peoples’ homes. Since they had to take their shoes off, he carried the shoehorn with him.”

“I’m imagining some of the music they would have played at these gatherings my father went to,” Münir explained the inspiration for his piece. “I’ve incorporated some of the elements of Turkish classical music, like scales and modes, as well as ornamentations that may sound Turkish. I also use rhythms to create these impressions of the traditional music heard in Turkey.”

But Münir explained the piece is not a depiction of Turkish music. “Rather than representing the music that would have been heard at these gatherings,” he pointed out, “it’s what a child’s imagination of that music was-what my father came home and explained to me as an 8 year old-that’s what the piece is really about.”

With an ensemble of flute, violin, viola, cello, and ud, this is not the first time Münir has combined western musical instruments with the ud. “But it’s always a challenge to join the sounds of these instruments,” he said. “To me, it’s like mixing olive oil and vinegar. No matter how much you shake the bottle, it separates, and you recognize the individual elements. There has to be a sense of belonging, and that’s what I’m doing in this piece.”