Finding a Way To

Sing Together

I wander in Gesi Vineyard

I seek my beloved who has passed away

I count on your welcome

Come and take a seat beside me, allow me to explain my state

My love is not able to see my state

What will I do with that beloved

I got three bunches of roses in Gesi Vineyard

O, remorseless,

There’s death for you and me

If there’s death, there’s cruelty in this world

Don’t leave me behind the mountains, my poor mother

Nobody regrets, but my mother cries for my sorrow

Don’t leave me behind the mountains, my poor mother

Nobody regrets, but my mother cries for my sorrow

A music video featuring a traditional Turkish folk song and 21 performers from the Magna Exteriors and Mirrors division in Izmit, Turkey has become a YouTube sensation, garnering more than 200,000 views in just a few weeks.

Released at the end of 2020, the video is the brainchild of Necmettin Yildirim, the human-resources manager at the 500-person plant, who knows great songs can boost morale and bridge what divides us, in a pandemic and beyond.

The haunting melody is one every Turkish schoolchild learns. It is a lament about the vineyards of Gesi, sorrow and lost love, striking the perfect note in an era of social distancing.

“People may not understand the words, but they can feel the emotion,” said Yildirim, a keyboard player who is one of the singers in the video that runs for 3 minutes and 52 seconds.

The Magna employees in the video are alone as they sing and play instruments, including the saz, a Turkish string in- strument, and the cajon, a percussion instrument. The set- ting is different for each musician. Some are in Magna of- fices, near assembly lines or the loading dock at the plant; others are in meadows or by stone walls.

Although there were no auditions or other requirements for employees who volunteered to participate, the video was professionally edited into a seamless performance.

“We may be separated in the video, yet we are together again.” Yildirim said. “Now, everyone is asking, ‘When is the second one coming?’”

He adds: “I have something in mind. It is connected to music again.”

“Music Brings People Together”

Mert Aric, a Magna IT system and infrastructure supervisor, is a newcomer to music videos and singing in public.

“Sometimes I play the guitar at home, but I’ve never done anything like this before,” he said.

He first learned the traditional folk song when he was a teenager and calls it “an emotional song.”

“Music brings people together,” he said. “I definitely will participate in the next one.”

“IT CHEERED EVERYBODY UP”

Ozlem Koca, one of the featured musicians in the video, is known for bursting into song at her desk.

The logistics development engineer’s vocal ability has become even more well known throughout the plant, since the video is often played in the division’s dining room. Participants could choose their setting, and she selected a spot near the plant’s injection machines and robots because they are a key part of her work.

“I want to say ‘thanks’ to the Magna HR team for doing this,” she said. “It cheered everybody up. This is my first job after university and I’ve found that Magna is a good place to work. People are so kind and welcoming. It makes me want to sing all the time.”

Ozlem Koca, Magna logistics development engineer

Mert Aric, Magna IT system and infrastructure supervisor

The musicians:

Firat Akin – team leader

Onur Erdogan – mold maintenance engineer

Hana Buyukkose – production engineering manager

Secil Doganay – human resources specialist

Necmettin Yildirim – human resources manager

Mehmet Sumer – logistics engineer

Kaan Suner – sales manager

Ilker Coban –  IT technician

Ilkan Yunkul – quality engineer

Ahmet Sanliturk – team leader

Mert Aric – IT system and infrastructure supervisor

Alev Kartal – human resources supervisor

Bedirhan Cubuk – TPM engineer

Gokhan Haliloglu – operations manager

Tulay Patlar – purchasing specialist

Yunus Eyidemir – operator

Ismail Coban – operator

Ozlem Koca – logistics development engineer

Ahmet Dogan – quality technician

Husnu Bayazit – team leader

Ali Kaan Sesen – sales engineer

Necmettin Yildirim, Magna human resources manager