Writers

Amy Salsgiver

AMY SALSGIVER

Amy Salsgiver is an Istanbul-based American percussionist, composer, and educator who has
been an integral part of the vibrant local music scene for nearly two decades. Her creative work spans a broad spectrum of genres and disciplines — from classical to contemporary, traditional to experimental — often combining different aspects to powerful effect.

Her role as a performer keeps her at the heart of the contemporary and experimental music scene in Istanbul. As a contemporary percussionist she is actively working with composers and performing new music withHezarfen Ensemble, striving to bring new Turkish music to home and abroad. Her practice includes incorporating Turkish percussion instruments into unconventional contexts, reimagining their sonic possibilities. Amy is also the co-founder of sa.ne.na, a percussion collective dedicated to presenting influential works from the past fifty years to Turkish audiences. As an extension of this endeavor, she has collaborated with performers and composers such as Slagwerk Den Haag, Christian Benning, and Michael Gordon. Other percussion-based work includes performing with the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra (BIFO), studying the Ghanaian xylophone, the gyil, and appearing on stage and in recordings with jazz and pop music groups.

As a faculty member at Istanbul Technical University’s Centre for Advanced Studies in Music (MIAM), she leads both the MIAM Percussion Ensemble and the MIAM Improvisation Ensemble. Her courses encompass a broad range of subjects related to percussion, composition, and improvisation.

Amy is currently completing a PhD in music composition, focusing on improvisation and collaborative processes as vital tools in contemporary musical practice. She also leads an ongoing practice-based research project titled Sound Runs, in which she records the local sonic environment while running through it. These field recordings serve as both documentation and creative stimulus, inspiring works that invite audiences to engage more deeply with their surroundings.

POSTS BY THE WRITER

Pulse, Reflection, Repetition: Musical Perception in Doug Aitken’s Naked City

30 May 2025 Fri

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