Turkish Folk legends Erkan Oğur and İsmail Hakkı Demircioğlu to tour North America in April

Next month, two of Turkey’s leading musicians will embark on an eight-date tour of Canada and the United States of America. Erkan Oğur and İsmail Hakkı Demircioğlu, both masters of stringed instruments, will kick off their tour in Toronto on Apr. 1 and conclude in San Francisco nine days later. Their set will showcase the rich sounds of classic and contemporary Turkish music.

The series of concerts are aimed at lovers of World Music as much as the Turkish Diaspora, with Chicago Reader’s Monica Kendrick describing the duo’s music as: “resonant tones and dramatic elegance of some of the most beautiful music in the world.”

About Erkan Oğur

61-year-old Oğur’s artistry stretches from the classical music of Anatolia to American Blues. The inventor of the fretless classical guitar, Oğur plays the kopuz and bağlama lutes and is renowned for his freestyle interpretations of Turkish Classical and Folk songs. A prolific composer, he has also scored soundtracks for award-winning Turkish films, including Eşkıya (1996) and Yazı Tura (2004).

About İsmail Hakkı Demircioğlu

Born in Rize, in Turkey’s Black Sea region in 1957, Demircioğlu was destined for a musical career from a young age. After graduating from the State Conservatoire at Istanbul Technical University, he specialised in stringed instruments, most commonly performing with a bağlama or bass guitar. He came to public prominence after playing with the Ruhi Ayangil Turkish Music Orchestra and later when he joined Turkish Folk outfit Ruhi Su Dostlar Korosu, where he played bass guitar.

Demircioğlu and Oğur have been playing together since 1998. The duo regularly perform live and have also released two albums – Gülün Kokusu Vardı and Anadolu Beşik – as well as appearing on albums for numerous other recording artists.

Their North America tour is being organised by international music promoter Studio Live in conjunction with Serdar Ilhan.