Nağme Yarkın – Turkish Kemence – Turkey
Nağme Yarkın was born into a family of musicians. She started taking piano lessons from Faris Akarsu at the age of three, and began studying piano at Istanbul University State Conservatory at the age of five. After completing her training in Western Classical Music, she decided to learn Turkish music formally, and began studying at Istanbul Technical University Turkish Music Conservatory. She has 11 years of training in classical Kemenche, and has worked for the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation′s (TRT) youth choir as a kemenche player. Yarkın completed her higher education in the composition department. She was trained in composition for one semester in Estonia in the Erasmus Program. A member of Kervansaray – Yarkın Rhythm Group, she has performed at various concerts in Turkey, the Netherlands, and the United States. She has worked with renowned musicians such as Yavuz Özüstün, Prof. Emel Celebioğlu, Prof. Dr. Selahattin İcli, Cüneyd Orhon, İhsan Özgen, Mete Sakpınar, Halil Karaduman, Dr. Nail Yavuzoğlu, and Oğuzhan Balcı. Currently, Yarkın continues to study at Istanbul University in the Department of Composition and works on movie soundtracks and concerts, as well as CD productions consisting of her own compositions.