Biography

BURCU YILDIZ graduated from the department of political science and international relations in Boğaziçi University in 2003. She received an M.A. in ethnomusicology at the Department of Advanced Studies in Music, Istanbul Technical University, with a work on subversive femininities in popular music of Turkey, and a PhD on cultural memory, identity and music among the Armenians of Turkey. She is assistant professor in the musicology department of the conservatory in Istanbul Technical University, where she teaches courses on ethnomusicology, research methods in music, world music cultures and musics of Turkey.

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Abstract

In this paper, I will consider the issue of dizi theme songs as a new genre in the popular music industry of Turkey with special attention to the concept of professional dizi musicianship. I will be looking at both the functions of music in the production of Turkish TV series and the influence of dizi market conditions in the process of music production. The other side of the debate is how the performance practices of dizi musicians, which involve multilayered practices of music production such as composing, performing, arranging, recording, music editing, mixing, film scoring, etc. create a new performance space and language for musicianship. Through my ethnographic experience in the field, I will ultimately argue how economic, social and political conditions (advertisements, TV ratings, political constraints, market requirements) in the dizi industry affect the practices of dizi musicians.