Registration

The session is free and open to anyone interested in the Global Musics BMus or MMus programmes. Registration is required. After registering, you will receive a Microsoft Teams link by email before the event.

You can register via this link. 

Questions? Send an email with your question to: globalmusics@codarts.nl

Programme

The session lasts approximately two hours and is designed to be open, welcoming and informative. There will be plenty of time for questions.

18:00 – 18:20 | Welcome & Introduction to Global Musics
Jan Kuhr, Head of Department, opens the evening with an introduction to the Global Musics department. He will outline the department’s values, its approach to music education and what makes studying here genuinely distinctive.

18:20 – 18:50 | Bachelor of Music (BMus) — Programme Overview
A detailed overview of the bachelor programme: how it is structured, the two specialisation pathways, what a typical week looks like and how students develop technical mastery and artistic voice over four years.

18:50 – 19:15 | Master of Music (MMus) — Programme Overview
An introduction to the master programme, focusing on its flexible and student-centred curriculum and the possibilities students have to shape their own artistic and research pathway.

19:15 – 19:30 | Meet the Team
Short introductions from the educators and student coordinators who will be present during the evening.

19:30 – 20:00 | Live Q&A
An open question session for prospective students. The entire team will be present to respond. You are welcome to ask anything about admissions, programme content, audition requirements, life in Rotterdam or studying your specific musical tradition at Codarts.

About the Department

The Global Musics department at Codarts Rotterdam offers Bachelor and Master programmes built around two interconnected areas of study.

Maqam and Modal Cultures along the Silk Roads
This pathway includes Ottoman, Anatolian, Mesopotamian and Greek urban modal traditions.

Caribbean & South American Music (CaSA)
This pathway focuses on musical traditions from Cuba, Brazil, the River Plate region, Suriname and the Dutch Caribbean islands.

Within the programme these traditions are not treated as “world music” electives within a Western curriculum. Instead they are approached as complex, technically demanding and living musical traditions, taught within the pedagogical frameworks of their own cultures.

Flamenco holds a special position within the programme. Rooted in Andalusia and shaped through centuries of cultural exchange between Romani, North African and Mediterranean traditions, flamenco connects elements of both pathways.

Students from all instrumental backgrounds are welcome. What matters most is the commitment to engage deeply, respectfully and creatively with the traditions you study.

Bachelor of Music (BMus)

The BMus in Global Musics has recently been redesigned, with its first cohort starting in September 2025.

From the first year onwards, students receive:

• Weekly one-to-one lessons on their principal instrument
• Two ensemble classes each week
• Training in improvisation, theory, music history and oral transmission

Pathway 1 — Maqam & Modal Music Across the Silk Roads

This pathway focuses on modal systems and traditional oral learning methods such as meşk, where repertoire is transmitted directly from teacher to student.

Core subjects include:

• Maqam Theory
• Taksim Improvisation
• Usul and Tala Rhythm
• Maqam Ensemble
• Music History and Lineage

Concentrations may include:

• Ottoman Classical Music
• Anatolian & Mesopotamian Musical Traditions
• Greek urban modal music
• Flamenco

Projects and masterclasses may cover:

• Persian music
• Arabic musical traditions
• North Indian classical music
• Andalusian musical traditions

Pathway 2 — Caribbean & South American Music (CaSA)

This pathway explores Cuban, Brazilian and related traditions through a practice-led approach that integrates rhythm, dance, language and cultural context.

Core focus areas include:

• Cuban musical traditions
• Brazilian traditions
• Flamenco and its transatlantic dialogues

Projects and masterclasses may include:

• River Plate music (including tango)
• Musical traditions from Suriname
• Music from Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao

Master of Music (MMus)

The Master of Music in Global Musics is designed for musicians and composers who wish to deepen their expertise in diverse musical traditions through practice, performance, composition and artistic research. The programme is flexible and student-centred, allowing students to shape a pathway aligned with their artistic and research interests.

Two principal areas of focus are available:

Music of the Silk Roads

Includes:

• Maqam Music
• Folk and modal traditions along the Silk Routes

Caribbean & South American Music (CaSA)

Includes:

• CaSA Caribbean Music
• CaSA Brazilian Music
• CaSA Tango Music

The Team

The people present during the session represent the full breadth of the department. They include educators, practitioners and coordinators who are deeply rooted in the traditions they teach.

Jan Kuhr
Head of Department, Global Musics

Barbaros Bozkır
Coordination — Maqam & Modal Music Across the Silk Roads

Mutlu Kızılgedik
Coordination — Maqam & Modal Music / Student Coordinator

Nils Fischer
Coordination — Caribbean & South American Music

Bárbara Varassi Pega
River Plate Tango Specialist, Pianist, Composer and Arranger

Marijn van der Linden
CaSA Curriculum Design, Ensembles, Guitar and Transcription Teacher

Sofia Nakou
Student Coordinator — Caribbean & South American Music

Burcu Ramazanoğlu Stavropoulos
Education Support Officer

Live Q&A

The final 30 minutes are dedicated entirely to questions from prospective students. Topics often include:

• What level of musicianship is expected before applying
• Whether you need to speak Dutch to study at Codarts
• How the audition process works
• Whether you can study more than one tradition or pathway
• What a typical week in the programme looks like
• Whether the MMus is suitable for musicians already working professionally
• How the department supports students from outside Europe
• Whether you can progress from the BMus into the MMus at Codarts
• Performance and collaboration opportunities during the programme
• Availability of specialist teachers for specific instruments