Derya Turkan (kemence)

Derya Türkan is a young master of classical Turkish kemençe. He plays improvisational as well as the Ottoman classical music repertoire. Born in Istanbul, Turkey in 1973, Türkan grew up in a musical family, and received his first music lessons from the renowned Turkish cellist Firat Kiziltug. He is a graduate of the Turkish Music Conservatory Instruments Education Department of the Istanbul Technical University, where he studied with Ihsan Özgen. Türkan was invited to perform as a guest musician by the Turkish Cultural Ministry’s Istanbul National Turkish Music Ensemble in 1990, and by the Turkish Radio and Television, Istanbul Radio division in 1993, where he earned outstanding praise. He worked alongside such masters as Alâaddin Yavasça, Bekir Sidki Sezgin, Niyazi Sayin, Erol Deran, and the Necdet Yasar Ensemble. In 1996, he performed with internationally acclaimed Turkish ney player Kudsi Ergüner at Yehudi Menuhin’s 80th birthday celebration concerts organized by the French President Jacques Chirac. He has also toured and recorded with Kudsi Ergüner’s various ensembles. Some of these projects include Ottoman Drums, Ottamania, IslamBlues and La Banda Allaturka. Türkan has given numerous concerts in the United States, France, Germany, Finland, Italy, Spain, Holland, Belgium, Poland, Greece, Israel and many other countries in addition to his native Turkey.