Chamber Music Ensemble
The MAKSAD Chamber Music Ensemble began in 1999, when a group of local and international musicians who had settled in Marmaris and the surrounding areas for various reasons and purposes started gathering regularly to rehearse and make music together.
Coming from diverse geographies and cultures including Turkey, Azerbaijan, Germany, Moldova, and the Russian Federation, the group members united through their shared love of music and their decision to make Marmaris their home. Their determined efforts led to the formation of Marmaris’s first chamber music ensemble, marking a significant cultural milestone in the town’s history.
Recognizing the opportunity to introduce the value and cultural experience of polyphonic music to locals and visitors—and to contribute to Marmaris’s image as a rising tourism center—ensemble members and supporters who appreciated the importance of this initiative founded our association, MAKSAD (Marmaris Culture and Art Association), to ensure the continuation of this chamber music ensemble.
Since its founding, under the direction of Conductor Samir Gulahmedov, our ensemble has continued to perform, giving nearly 150 concerts with its core members and guest artists. In one of its first concerts in Marmaris, the ensemble had the opportunity to accompany flute master Prof. Cahit Koparal. Other memorable projects include Atatürk and Music (2006), A Journey from Yunus Emre to Mozart (2006), Symphony of Muğla Folk Songs (2008) composed by Ilyas Mirzayev for MAKSAD, The Four Seasons Concerto by Antonio Vivaldi performed with violinist Suna Kan (2008), The Glory of Italian Baroque Music (2020), and the premiere of Bert Barten’s Symphony of the Sweetgum Tree performed in Marmaris’s Günnücek National Park (2024).
Since 2022, for the Marmaris Culture and Arts Festivals, our ensemble has expanded to the size of a festival orchestra.
Beyond concerts, ensemble members have supported countless children and youth in Marmaris through music lessons offered for years under MAKSAD, helping them discover instruments, love music, and make it a part of their lives.
Today, the MAKSAD Chamber Music Ensemble continues to support young musicians. Many young musicians living, working, or studying in and around Marmaris take part in our projects, perform with us in various formations, and share the joy of making music together. Being an ensemble open to musicians of all backgrounds, nationalities, and age groups is a core and proud part of our identity.
Cond. & Artistic Dir.: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Samir Gulahmedov
Born in Ganja, Azerbaijan in 1962, Gulahmedov began violin lessons at age 7. He received his early training at a local music school (1970–1977), followed by the Fine Arts High School, from which he graduated with honors in 1981. Upon graduation, he received third prize in the National High School Classical Music Competition in Azerbaijan. He studied at the Baku Music Academy (State Conservatory) from 1981 to 1986 in the class of Prof. Dr. Sarvar Ganiyev, successfully earning his undergraduate and master’s diplomas as a soloist, orchestra violinist, and violin teacher.
During 1982–1986, he also attended masterclasses in Moscow under Prof. Dr. S. Kravchenko.
Gulahmedov began his professional career during his military service (1986–1988), serving as concertmaster in the Red Army Orchestra in Moscow. He continued as concertmaster of the Azerbaijan State Television and Radio Orchestra from 1988 to 1992. After moving to Turkey in 1993, he worked as a violinist in the Cemal Reşit Rey Orchestra in Istanbul.
After settling in Marmaris in 1996, he co-founded MAKSAD in 1999 and launched what is now known as the MAKSAD Chamber Music Ensemble. Since then, he has served as the ensemble’s director and has been Board President of MAKSAD since 2007.
Through MAKSAD, Gulahmedov has developed and led major events such as the Marmaris National Ballet Days, the Prof. Cahit Koparal National Flute Competitions, and the Marmaris International Culture and Arts Festival (MKSF), performing in countless concerts as both soloist and conductor.
Since 2002, he has been teaching at Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, Faculty of Education Department of Music Education within the.
Repertoire
The MAKSAD Chamber Music Ensemble performs works from all styles of classical music, as well as jazz and light music. Its repertoire spans from early Baroque pieces to contemporary works by today’s composers. The ensemble also features Turkish and Turkish-origin composers and commissions new works, such as the Symphony of Muğla Folk Songs.
Repertoire highlights include:
Early Baroque: Dances (minuet, gavotte, gigue), fugues, sacred music
Girolamo Frescobaldi, Giovanni Giacomo Gastoldi, Andrea & Giovanni Gabrieli, Claudio Monteverdi, Adriano Banchieri, Orlando di Lasso, Johann Pachelbel, Heinrich Schütz
Baroque and Late Baroque: Dances, fugues, oratorio excerpts, suites, concerto grosso, solo concertos
J.S. Bach, G.F. Handel, Henry Purcell, Antonio Vivaldi, Alessandro Scarlatti, Arcangelo Corelli, Francesco Geminiani, Giuseppe Torelli, Georg Philipp Telemann
Classical Period: Chamber music, light symphonies, divertimenti
C.P.E. Bach, J.C. Bach, Johann Stamitz, Joseph Haydn, W.A. Mozart, Antonio Salieri, Luigi Boccherini, Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf, Jean-Philippe Rameau, Gioachino Rossini, G.B. Sammartini
Romantic Period:
Johannes Brahms, Franz Schubert, Franz Liszt, Antonín Dvořák, Felix Mendelssohn, Louis Spohr, Robert Schumann, Johann Strauss I & II, Georges Bizet, Jules Massenet, Claude Debussy, Johan Svendsen, Engelbert Humperdinck
Modern Period:
Sergei Prokofiev, Béla Bartók, Alfred Schnittke, Fritz Kreisler, Gordon Jacobs, Benjamin Britten, Dmitri Shostakovich, Qara Qarayev, Arif Melikov, Adnan Saygun, Muammer Sun, Veysel Arseven, Cemal Reşit Rey, Selman Ada, Ulvi Cemal Erkin, Astor Piazzolla
Contemporary Composers:
Jean-Luc Ponty, Leroy Anderson, Nevit Kodallı, Ilyas Mirzayev
MAKSAD Chamber Music Ensemble
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JOIN US
The MAKSAD Chamber Ensemble is open to musicians of various regions, cultures, and age groups. Always eager to grow, the ensemble welcomes applications from professional and advanced-level instrumentalists residing in the area throughout the year.
We invite prospective members to contact us and participate in trial rehearsals.