After completing my primary education at Üsküdar Paşakapısı Primary School, I graduated from Haydarpaşa High School.
I completed my undergraduate studies at the Faculty of Economics, Anadolu University.
Breezes from the Ney
With the contributions of Mr. Cemal Kalyoncu,
I had the honor of presenting a ney performance to our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
I would like to express my gratitude to them.
Our esteemed President and Mr. Cemal Kalyoncu
During my third year at Haydarpaşa High School, my highly respected guidance teacher, Fatma Oğuz,
administered a 120-question test to help us make more informed university choices.
At that time, this test had been prepared by Cambridge University.
The result I received was quite surprising to me.
Although no one in my family or close circle was professionally involved in music, my musical aptitude was found to be 80%.
The remaining 20% related to foreign languages and other fields.
Ney Recital
With this realization, I felt a strong desire to pursue a musical education and took the entrance examinations for the Emin Ongan Üsküdar Music Society.
At the Emin Ongan Üsküdar Music Society, I began to be recognized as Neyzen Zeki Sözen.
I actively took part in the society’s concerts and radio recordings,
and performed improvisations (taksims) under the guidance of my teachers.
I took part in more than two hundred concerts.
During this period, my time at the society extended to approximately five years.
Neyzen Zeki Sözen
In 1992, I served for approximately two years as a guest ney performer in the Istanbul University State Conservatory Turkish Music Ensemble.
Istanbul University State Conservatory Ensemble
Under the direction of my late and esteemed teacher Rıza Rit,
I had the opportunity to join and perform with this ensemble.
My late and esteemed teacher, Rıza Rit
In 2005 and 2006, I worked as a ney instructor at Sabancı University.
In 1991, after successfully passing the examinations of the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture, I joined the Istanbul Historical Turkish Music Ensemble.
Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture Istanbul Historical Turkish Music Ensemble
I continue my work as a ney performer both in Türkiye and internationally,
performing Mehter music, Turkish classical music, and solo works.
To date, we have performed approximately 3,000 concerts as an ensemble.
All of these performances are archived
within the records of the Istanbul Historical Turkish Music Ensemble.
It is not possible to list all the concerts performed over more than thirty-three years.
We have given concerts throughout Türkiye and in many countries around the world.
Concerts in Africa
Concerts in Asia
Concerts in Europe
Concerts in the United States
Concerts in South Korea
Concerts in Central Asia
Organized under the coordination of the Presidency of Communications,
the 43rd Annual New York Turkish Day Parade (2024)
was held in New York with great enthusiasm and strong participation.
Originally initiated in 1981 in response to the assassinations of Turkish diplomats by the Armenian terrorist organization ASALA,
this event later became a long-standing tradition,
and came to be known as the Turkish Day Parade.
Participants from New York and surrounding states
gathered along Madison Avenue to watch the parade,
organized by the Federation of Turkish American Associations (TADF).
Cultural groups, community organizations, and students from Turkish-language schools joined the parade and greeted the official delegation.
The parade starting from Madison 38th Street
continued with events held at the concert area set up in Madison Square Park on 25th Street.
Participants experienced moments of excitement with performances by Turkish artists and folklore groups.
Fahrettin Altun, Head of Communications of the Presidency,
in his video message broadcast at the festival area,
stated that the Turkish-American community maintaining its ties with the homeland,
is seen as “representatives of the Turkish nation and citizen diplomats.”
Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture Istanbul Historical Turkish Music Ensemble
