Ramazan Sesler clarinet
Bülent Sesler kanun
Hasan Demir ud
Yaşar Akpençe darbuka

The clarinetist Ramazan Sesler is the successor of a long musical tradition. Among the Seslers, music is above all a family story, and the destiny of the family is also that of a part of Turkey. At the end of the Great War, the Greek-Turkish population exchange in 1923 involved the displacement of nearly two million people on both sides of the border. Established for centuries in Greece, the Sesler family leaves their city, Drama, to settle in Keşan, on the Turkish side of the border. The members of the clan, primarily the grandfather and kaba zurna player, Mümin Sesler, quickly become the undisputed musicians of festivities and weddings in their new region. It is in this context that the son and future world star Selim Sesler practices. Initially a zurna player, he finally opts for the clarinet. With Ramazan Sesler, grandson of Mümin the emigrant, the successor of the Sesler dynasty is already in the making. He accompanies his father Selim and practices with him, both in Turkey and abroad. He acquires the style and technique of the family, as well as the repertoire. Like his predecessors, he appeared on every kind of stage and developed his character there: concert halls, taverns, wedding ceremonies. After Selim’s death in 2014, Ramazan Sesler produced an album entitled Babadan Oğula (From Father to Son), as a tribute to his father and family school. Ramazan Sesler currently presents on stage a repertoire from this musical heritage and a selection of cult pieces from the popular and classical Turkish genre.

Date: 4 July Thursday
Time: 13.00
Venue: Şerefiye Cistern