One of the most unique cultural heritages of the Ottoman Empire is the “Jewish Maftirim Chorus” who had been directly influenced by the Mevlevi’s and Bektashi’s sect music.

It is even common in the present day to hear Mevlevi composer’s melodies accompanied by texts from the Torah and sung in Hebrew. Five musicians from the “Dunya Group” will give a special concert at the Museum on 16 June 2010. Their performance will cover melodies from Maftirim tunes, using instruments such as nay, flute, drums and accompanied by human voice. These melodies will reflect the authentic atmosphere of the Maftirim Works and sect music. The group consists of Dr. Mehmet Ali SANLIKOL ( Emerson College) Prof. Robert LABAREE (New England Conservatory) , percussionist Cem Mutlu and Jewish musicians Beth Bahia Cohen, Noam SENDER from USA.