Music opens doors where language no longer reaches.
I am Bilgen Pehlivan, a cultural gerontologist based in Cologne. I create musical afternoons, tea hours and training sessions for older people, people living with dementia and their families – in German and in Turkish.
Before this work I spent 35 years in anaesthesia and intensive care nursing. I know how an afternoon on a ward actually goes.
Coming up
Where to find me
15:00 – 17:30
Vergiss mich nicht – Unutma Beni
Seniorenzentrum Theo-Burauen-Haus, Peter-Bauer-Straße 2, 50823 Köln
A bilingual afternoon for World Alzheimer's Day with an expert talk, advice, poetry and a shared singalong concert.
16:30 – 18:00
Türkülerimiz, Şarkılarımız
Kulturbunker Köln-Mülheim, Berliner Straße 20, 51063 Köln
A tea hour on migration and memory: singing, telling stories and listening together – over tea and familiar songs.
From the work
Tea, song sheets, piano
Most of my sessions happen around a table rather than on a stage. That is precisely why they work.
Tea hours with seniors
Singing, telling stories and listening together – at the table, with tea, song sheets and piano accompaniment.
Songs in two languages
“Yüksek Yüksek Tepelere” beside its German translation: familiar melodies open memories.
Meeting as equals
A session at Demenz Meet Köln on how methods from cultural gerontology activate memories.
Services
What I bring to you
I match content, length and structure to your group – from a single afternoon to an accompanied series.
Dementia and music
Familiar songs reach people living with dementia where words alone no longer do.
Single session or series
Culturally sensitive work in later life
Ways to reach older people with a migration background – in their language and with their songs.
In German and Turkish
Tea hours and singing circles
A sheltered space to arrive, listen, tell stories and belong – over tea and music.
For groups and neighbourhoods
Talks and training
Methods from cultural gerontology, taught hands-on – for institutions, associations and professional days.
In person or online
Cultural projects and choir work
From the first idea through planning to delivery – cultural projects with staying power.
Project accompaniment
Consultation for families
How music can carry everyday life with a relative living with dementia.
Individually or in a small group
Approach
What guides my work
- Meeting as equals
- I do not bring a programme to be played out. I bring songs and listen to what comes of them. Sometimes a circle sings for two hours, sometimes we talk about one photograph and never reach the third song.
- The first language lasts longest
- In dementia, the later-learned language fades first. Someone who spoke fluent German at 60 may only understand Turkish at 80. That is exactly where I work.
- Every biography brings its own music
- Behind every resident stands a whole life of songs. I ask about them and bring them back into the room – sometimes in a language otherwise never heard in the building.
Who books me
Who I work with
I work across Germany and, by arrangement, across Europe. Talks, training and consultation also work online; musical sessions do not – they depend on being in the same room together.
Care homes and senior centres
Regular musical sessions, culturally sensitive support and training for your teams.
Cultural venues, choirs and museums
Designing and delivering low-barrier cultural formats for an ageing audience.
Families and initiatives
Consultation, discussion circles and musical prompts for everyday life with dementia.
Education providers and conferences
Talks and workshops on cultural gerontology, participation in later life and migration biographies.
Frequent questions
What people usually ask
Who are your programmes for?
For older people, for people living with dementia and for their families. Also for care and support professionals, associations, cultural institutions and education providers who want to build their own programmes or train their team.
Which languages do you work in?
German and Turkish. Mixed-language groups are explicitly welcome – often the finest encounters happen there, because songs connect people even without a shared language.
Where do the sessions take place?
I come to you: care homes, senior centres, cultural venues, parish halls or association rooms. Cologne and the Rhineland are my focus, but I am available across Germany and, by arrangement, across Europe.
Are online formats possible?
Yes. I offer talks, training and consultation for families online as well. Participatory musical sessions, however, live on being present together and work considerably better on site.
Tell me what you have in mind
Write me a few sentences about your group and the occasion, or simply call. A short conversation is often enough to see what would fit.