Artist Bio

Aslihan Erkişi

Aslıhan Erkisi is a Turkish vocalist, qanun player, and choir director born in Germany with ancestral roots in Preveza, Greece. She graduated as valedictorian from the Istanbul Technical University (ITU) Turkish Music State Conservatory in 2008 and later completed a Master’s degree in Educational Sciences at Yeditepe University.

Between 2009–2016, she served as a Lecturer in Ottoman–Turkish Makam Music at ITU, teaching repertoire, interpretation, and performance practice while directing multiple choirs. An award-winning vocalist, she has received top prizes in national competitions, appeared as a featured soloist on various albums, and served as a jury member in international music contests.

Since moving to the United States in 2016, Erkisi has presented nearly 50 concerts featuring Sufi music, Ottoman classical repertoire, and multilingual world-music programs. She currently directs multicultural children’s and women’s choirs, fostering cultural continuity through music. Her instrumental skills include qanun, Istanbul kemençe, and piano.

Ertuğrul Erkişi

Ertuğrul Erkişi is an internationally recognized singer, composer, instrumentalist, and producer specializing in traditional Turkish and Middle Eastern music. With more than two decades of professional experience, his work bridges musical traditions, cultural heritage, and contemporary audiences through performance, composition, and educational projects.

Erkişi received his formal music education at the Turkish Music Conservatory in İzmir and later completed his Master’s degree in Turkish Music at Ege University’s Institute of Social Sciences. He has also pursued doctoral research in musicology. Early in his career, he worked with the Turkish national broadcaster Turkish Radio and Television (TRT), performing alongside prominent Turkish musicians and gaining national recognition.

Throughout his career, Erkişi has released 14 albums, contributed to numerous recordings, and sold over one million copies worldwide. His compositions have been performed in large concert venues and broadcast widely on television and radio. He has also served as a jury member for several international music festivals and cultural competitions.

In the past five years, Erkişi has presented more than 50 concert projects across the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia, and Africa, including productions such as From Rumi’s Heart, Colors of Mesopotamia, Multicultural Maqam Songs, Aegean Musicians from Greece & Türkiye, and Istanbul Songs. Through these projects, he continues to promote intercultural dialogue and the living heritage of traditional music.

Fatih Bayram

Fatih Bayram is a musician, producer and sound director. He’s been performing with various ensembles in New York and New Jersey since 2006. He has played classical Turkish music, Turkish folk music, and contemporary Turkish music with musicians all around the United States, including Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, Houston, Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York. He has introduced the sound of Turkish folk and popular music to many at intercultural gatherings and festivals around the States as well as in Canada.