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| Gulay and the Ensemble Aras
World Music 
PRESTIGE Classical Productions Foundation, Ltd.
is proud to offer "GULAY AND THE ENSEMBLE ARAS" in concert
More information available upon request. |
Singer (Soprano) and Dancer Gulay was born in Istanbul, Turkey. During her early childhood years she was already familiarizing herself with music and dance from the Caucasus region and Central Asia She developed a special Asiatic singing technique, shaped by the art music of the Ottoman Court, which she continued to develop throughout her High School years. At that time she studied the dances from that region which she incorporated in her first solo recital. She continued her studies in Istanbul at Marmara University where she obtained her degree in graphics and painting Simultaneously, this very ambitious and talented young women continued her dancing studies, in the art of the Caucasus region, at the Anadolu Kafkas Azerbaycan Dance Company. Upon graduating, Gulay made her dance debut as the principal dancer among an ensemble of eighty dancers.
After completing her studies in Turkey, Gulay ventured forward in search of refining her art form. She left Turkey and took up residency in Vienna Austria in 1980. There, she enrolled at the University of Vienna where she studied history of art. In 1984, after receiving her degree, Gulay returned to a professional singing career engaging classical pianist Said Khazanihdari, as her accompanist for the next four years, performing music from Iran and Azerbaijan. During this period, she also engaged the services of Loh Min, a well known vocal coach in Salzburg, who studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and renowned conductor, Nicolaus Harnoncourt.
 Gulay
- Oriental Performance - Vocals, Dance and Choreography |
In 1994, Gulay created, produced and directed the Oriental musical, "Eine Entfuehrung in das Serail", which ran through 1995. She designed all of the scenery, costumes and developed the choreography for this magnificent production.
Together with Josef Wolfgang Olt and Nariman Hodjati, Gulay founded the "GULAY AND THE ENSEMBLE ARAS". Today, after fourteen years of successful engagements, Gulay has performed in all the leading theatres, palaces, concert halls and festivals in Austria and abroad. These include: the Festival of Early Music, Innsbruck, Austria, Eastern Melodies Festival, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Nouruz Festival; in theatres and concert halls: Hotel Modul, Vienna, Austria; Museum of Natural History, Kawai Concert Hall, Interkult Theatre, all located in Vienna, Austria, Open Air Theatre, Turkey, Young Actor’s Musical Theatre, Moscow, USSR, Estonia Concert Hall, Tallin, Estonia, Carl Orff Concert Hall, Gastieg-Munich, Germany; special events in palaces and castles: Palais Liechtenstein, Museum of Modern Art, Imperial Palace, Palais Rasumofsky, Forchtenstein Castle, all in Vienna, and Vollrads Castle, Rheingau, Germany, to name so few out of numerous performances throughout Europe. (Complete list is available to presenters) Live Television performances: Club Broadway, Ismir, Turkey, (several times) and Radiokulturhaus in Vienna, Austria.
Josef Wolfgang Olt
Josef Wolfgang Olt was born in Vienna, Austria. At the age of 15 he began his music studies in piano with Ray McIntyre and in composition with Heinz Prammer at the Praynersche’s Konservatorium in Vienna.
Two years later, he included flute lessons with Franjo Ofmann. After completing his studies at the conservatory, with high honors, Josef decided to explore studies in jazz saxophone with Boschidar Sorirof and remained with him until 1981. Mr Olt returned to academia where he pursued studies in languages at the Orient Academy from 1981-1987. He majored in Turkish and Persian. Before receiving his degree from the University of Vienna at the Institute of Orientalistik, he continued his studies in languages, thus adding the languages of Uzbekish and Uigurian to his curriculum.
 Josef
Wolfgang Olt - Flute |
During his enrolment at the University of Vienna, Mr. Olt founded the music group "GULISTAN", a project that combined jazz and oriental music. In 1986, his recording, "Oriental Groove-Jazz meets the Orient", was produced with the group and was highly praised for its originality.
He produced his third recording in 1985 titled, "Oriental Groove", with Karl Willhelm Krbavac, viola da gamba, and Robert Mastnak, on keyboard. After completing his studies at the University, Josef Wolfgang Olt already had three successful recordings to his credit.
His recording career continued to flourish with his fourth LP/CD " Pandora’s Box" with LAKIS & ACHWACH, which is a Rembetico group; a production, which combines Greek music and western elements. Additionally, he produced the MC "Oriental Journey", arrangements of Oriental folk music tunes. In 1989 he produced the MC "Ich liebe die Farbe Grau", a production which combines poems by Naum Melo with music composed and performed by himself and Amir Kurtaran, Arabian lute. In the same year he founded "GULAY AND THE ENSEMBLE ARAS", with Gulay and Nariman Hodjati. In 1991, all three principals produced the MC "Ak Gice" followed by three other successful CD productions; "Gardens of Beauty", "Sounds of Sunrise", and "Colors of Silk", which was released in the year 2000.
In 1993 he produced another CD, with Gulay, soprano and Cezmi Halkali, acoustic guitar, of children songs in Turkish and some short stories for educational purposes, later to be used in the schools of Austria. Between the year of 1994 and 1995, he worked with the ENSEMBLE AHESTE, playing, just flute, combining his talent with Sarah Yafet, piano and Gulay, soprano. This ensemble performed a number of concerts in Austria, in which Josef Olt arranged music of the ottoman court for this cast. In 1996, some recordings and video clips appeared at the CD-ROM production, "Abenteuer Seidentrase" (Silk Road Adventure), by Bruno Baumann.
Mr. Josef Wolfgang Olt continues to write transcriptions and arrangements along with compositions, which are included in the repertoire of, "GULAY AND THE ENSEMBLE ARAS".
Nariman Hodjati
As one of the three principal founders of "Gulay and the Ensemble Aras," Mr. Nariman Hodjati, architect, composer, writer and producer, was born in Balbolzar, a city in the province of Mazanderan, located on the south bank of the Caspian Sea in Iran.
 Nariman
Hodjati - Persian Lute |
He began his studies in architecture and graphics at the Teheran Academy of Arts in 1979 along with studies in music at the Tshawosh Institute for Traditional Music in Teheran. During this time, he developed an interest in the Tar, (Iranian lute) and studied music theory of traditional Iranian music from Hossein Alizadeh. He completed all of his studies and received his degrees, in architecture and music by 1985.
In 1986, he settled down in Vienna, Austria, where he became known for his prolific writings. He published his first novel " Wenn alle reich waeren" ("If everybody would be rich"), in 1988, followed by a collection of poems in 1991. In 1994, Mr. Hodjati composed and arranged the music in a movie called " I Love Vienna", produced and directed, by his friend, Houshang Allahyari.
In the same year Nariman, made a CD recording called " Persian Nights", with singer, Jooy, on the Koch label, followed by another release on Mandana Records, featuring singer and speaker, Mandana Alavi Kia with tabla -player, Peter Stipsits, in "Zarwan" ("creator of times", an ancient term in Iranian mythology). On this CD, he combined Iranian melodies with Indian rhythms. He composed and arranged the music for both recordings.
Collaborating with director, Masud Rahnameh, he wrote the stage play , "Siyah Bazi", ( "Black Game"), with Nariman composing the music. It premiered in Vienna in 1995. Another play written by Hodjati with music composed by the author/composer, titled, "Die Falle", ("The Trap"), had its first successful performance in 1999, at the Theatre im Kuenstlerhaus in Vienna.
In 1996 his book, " Die Grundstruktur de Persischen Musik", (" The principal structure of Persian music"), a work on traditional Iranian musicology, published in Iran, was honored and acclaimed as one of the ten best books of 1998 by the Teheran Book Fair.
Mr. Hodjati’s most recent accomplishment "Erfan- Vom Gesang", (Erfan-From Singing of the Planets"), is a combination of book and music which captures the stories of Iranian Sufis (mysticism), by the author/composer, recorded and produced in Germany in 2000, by Trans-World-Musikverlag.
Ting Feng-Chiu
Ting Feng-Chiu, joined Gulay and the Ensemble Aras in 1996. She came to Vienna as a student of music to study at the Konservatorium der Stadt Wien with Professors Ludwig Eschmann and Andy Ackerman. She continued her studies with Professor Wolfgang Harrer at the University of Vienna, School of the Performing Arts, where she received her degree in music.
 Ting
Feng-Chiu - Chinese Zither |
Feng-Chiu was born into a family of musicians in Yun-Lin, Taiwan. Her sister, Ting Su-Jiau was a well-known professional Chinese zither musician and teacher. Feng-Chiu studied the Chinese zither with her mentor sister from 1970-1984.
During her High School years in Yun-Lin, Feng-Chiu studied piano and choir leadership while she was studying the Chinese zither with her sister. In 1984 she participated in the Chinese zither competition, where she won third prize. From 1984 - 1985 she served as the conductor of the orchestra at Yun-Lin Academy, followed by her appointment as the choir director and conductor of the Zonde Foundation for Culture and Education in Taizhung, Taiwan from 1985- 1988. While she was still in Taiwan, Feng-Chiu chose to study another instrument, double bass.
Presently, Ms Feng-Chiu, performs the double bass with an international youth orchestra and is also featured as a soloist playing the Chinese zither.
Piotr Chololowicz
Born in 1971 in Hajnowka, Poland, Piotr Chololowicz, accodionist, began his music studies in Bialystok. Between 1992 and 1997 he studied with Professor Joachin Pichura at the Academy of Music in Katovice. He continued his education in Vienna with Professor Gertraud Winkelbauer-Zourek at the Vienna Conservatory of Music, ultimately receiving his degree in performance.
 Piotr
Chololowicz - Accordion |
Mr Chololowicz participated in several competitions. In 1997 he won third place in the International Accordion Competition in Reinach, Switzerland; in 1998, second place in the International Accordion Competition in Assenovgrad, Bulgaria and first place in the International Festival of Accordion Music in Przemysl, Poland. In 2000, Piotr won first place in the International Accordion Competition in Furstenfeld, Austria.
Presently he is active as a solo artist and is involved as a theatre musician at the famous Burgtheatre in Vienna. From 1997 to present, Mr Chololowicz is a member of two accordion ensembles, "ARS Harmonica Trio" and the "Schleische Akkordeonquintett ( the Schleische Accordion Quintet) In 1998 he recorded the CD "Kyrillikata" in Vienna with Jacek Grekow on accordion, percussion and bagpipes.
Mr. Chololowicz joined Gulay and the Ensemble Aras in 1999. With the ensemble, he recorded the CD "Colors of Silk", playing the bajan (button accordion).
Lalu Joseph Alappatt
 Lalu
Joseph Alappatt - Tabla |
Born in Kerala, India, Mr. Alappatt began his music career at the age of eleven under the guidance of Machad Krishnankuttinaya at the Sruthi-Laya in Trichur a center of music in the town of his birth.
Lalu made his first appearance playing the Tabla (Indian Percussion) at the Trichur Chinmaya Mission College Music Festival in 1991. His performance was highly praised by the celebrated musicians Swami Ramamoorthi, Subhramanaya Ayar and Vekitasa Ayar.
In 1993, " Mr Ramaya" so called by his fans, moved to Vienna, Austria. Since then, he has become a popular Tabla player for several ethnic societies. He is a new member of "Gulay and the Ensemble Aras"
Hristan Dragnev
Born in Burgas, Bulgaria, on the coast of the Black Sea, Hristan Dragnev began his music studies in piano at six years of age. At ten years old he studied the drums with Professor Hristo Hedjalkov at the Pancho Vladigerov Music School in Burgas..In 1985 he won second prize at the Targovishte Music Competition in Bularia. Within the same year he took the first prize at the Competition for Traditional Bulgarian Music in Burgas.
 Hristan
Dragnev - Drummer |
In 1985 he transferred to the Pancho Vladigeroc Music Academy were he became the student of the internationally celebrated teacher, Dr. Dobri Paliev. There he received his Master Degree in performance.. From 1991 to 1997, Professor Dragnev returned to Burgas to teach at the Pancho Vladigerov Music School, the school where he began his studies as a drummer in 1986. He later joined the Burgas Philharmonic Orchestra as kettledrum player. Hristan has been featured on several television programs.in Sophia as a solo performer.
In 1999, Hristan Dragnev left for Vienna to continue his studies with Dr. Veigl at the University of Vienna, School of Music and the Performing Arts. Apart from his activities as percussionist with Gulay and the Ensemble Aras since 2000, Hristan is the drummer for children operas in the Vienna Concert Hall and the Health Resort Orchestra in Bad Hofgastein, Austria.
"COLORS of SILK" was chosen by a Russian team of scientists for mental support of the cosmonauts and was sent on board the international space station ISS in 2001.
Movies
The links below lead to QuickTime movies. They require the free QuickTime plugin, which can be downloaded here.