Tune in this Thursday midnight to hear a recorded interview with one of the pioneer oudists in Turkish Music: Yurdal Tokcan. A master of the classical form and a productive composer, Yurdal Tokcan will shed light on the Middle Eastern lute, and interpretations of it in different musical cultures. This interview was recorded in Makam New York 2013, an annual Turkish/Ottoman music workshop in New York, on April 7th 2013. Hosted and translated by Ahmet Ali Arslan.

Tokcan was born in Ordu on the Black Sea coast of Turkey in 1966. He is a 1998 graduate of Istanbul Technical University's Turkish Music Government Conservatory. While completing his masters program there, he joined the faculty as an oud instructor.

In 1990, he joined the Culture and Tourism Ministry's Istanbul Government Music Ensemble under the artistic direction of Tanburi Necdet Yasar. As a member of this ensemble, Yurdal performed in France, Holland, Belgium, and Spain. He is a member of the Istanbul Fasil Ensemble and the Istanbul Tasavvuf Music Ensemble, and a founding member of the Istanbul Sazendeleri (Musicians of Istanbul), a group dedicated to presenting Turkish instrumental works.

Check out this link to learn more about the upcoming Makam New York workshop on Turkish/Ottoman music.