Fahrettin Yarkin

Fahrettin Yarkın was born in 1960 in Istanbul. He graduated from the Istanbul Technical University State Conservatory in 1983. In 1981, he passed auditions for TRT Istanbul Radio, and became a permanent artist in 1983. At the Radio, he had the opportunity to work with some of the foremost musicians of the period, including Bekir Sıdkı Sezgin, Alaeddin Yavaşça, Cinuçen Tanrıkorur, Kani Karaca and Yıldırım Gürses.

During the 80s and 90s, he performed the Şeb-i Aruz in Konya with the Istanbul Mevlevi ensemble. Yarkın has performed in many countries, both as a state employee and in independent concerts and projects. These include the album “Fasıl”, made in Belgium with Cinuçen Tanrıkorur and Murat Salim Tokaç; concerts and CDs with Spanish artist Jordi Savall, Haris Alexiou, Teo Leovendi, Panagiotis Neochoritis, Andre Rieu and the Dutch group Axis Ensemble; concerts in the Istanbul Jazz Festival with Jack DeJohnette, the Rova Saxophone Quartet, and Mahsa Vahdat; musical direction of albums by the Ensemble Saltiel and Romina Basso; lessons and seminars.

In 1994, he and his brother Ferruh Yarkın formed the Yarkın Türk Ritim Grubu and recorded the albums Ten, Tentende, Kervansaray and Havy. Other projects with the group include Etnoritmix, Ritmolatino, Kervansaray and Birlikte Yaşamak. Yarkın joined four more fine musicians to form the group İstanbul Solistleri. Fahrettin Yarkın is married and has two children.

Fahrettin is teaching Bendir drum and world percussion music.