Seyyare – Anatolian Women’s Choir Open Rehearsal

The Anatolian women's choir Seyyare (Turkish for "wandering" or "on the move") emerged from a spontaneous act of collective singing during the funeral of Filiz Taşkın (1944-2024). As one of the first Turkish women to come to West Berlin as so-called guest workers, Taşkın dedicated her life to the rights of workers, women and migrants. The choir was founded by the singer Sema Moritz (* 1956) and is still directed by her today.

The choir presents centuries-old song traditions from Anatolia, the Balkans, the Caucasus and the wider Southwest Asian region in over ten languages. Seyyare brings together women with experience of migration and exile; the repertoire reflects the diversity of oral cultures characterized by movement, memory and shared histories.

During the Kyiv Biennial, the 20-member choir is visiting KW for a residency in order to rehearse together regularly. An open rehearsal as part of Free Thursday (Free admission on Thursday evenings with extended opening hours) offers the public an insight into the choir's creative process. Following the residency, a new work commissioned by the Pop-Kultur Festival will be premiered at the Kulturbrauerei on 29.08.26.