Since opening its doors in the capital in 2010, the Yunus Emre Institute (YEI) has become the place to learn about Turkish language, arts and culture. Based in Maple Street, Fitzrovia, a stone’s throw from Warren Street tube, the YEI has been building cultural bridges between Britain and Turkey by hosting exhibitions, talks and running courses, especially on Turkey’s many traditional art forms such as ebru (paper marbling) and calligraphy, and important musical instruments like the ney.

The Turkish ney is an end-blown reed flute, a variation on the ancient ney that was played by Persians and others in the Middle East. The ney is typically played when performing Turkish Classical music, and is also used in the music of the Mevlevi Sufi ceremonies.

This autumn, the YEI course is running a short eight-week course on how to play the ney, for both beginners and those with some basic grounding in the instrument. The classes are run by Murat Ferhat Yegül (pictured above), who will give both group and individual instruction. Students can bring their own ney or borrow one for the duration of their course.

Those interested in taking up the course should register by latest this Friday, 13 October. The course starts on Saturday 14 Oct. and runs weekly on Saturdays. Morning sessions are for beginners and start at 11am until 1.30pm. The intermediates course runs from 2pm to 5pm. Beginners can also attend the intermediate class to watch and learn.

All classes are in English, with course materials available in both English and Turkish. The course fee for the 8-week course (20 hours in total) is £140, covering 8 weeks (20 hours in total).

About ney teacher Murat Ferhat Yegül

Murat graduated from the Ney Department of Classical Turkish Music Conservatory at Selcuk University, Konya, in 2005. He learnt the ney under the expert instruction of master ney players Sadrettin Özçimi, Suleyman Yardım and Emrah Hatipoğlu. Prior to this, he studied Western Music in the Trombone Department of the Faculty of Music and Performing Arts at Bilkent University, Ankara (1996-2000). Murat is a ney maker and before moving to the UK, was a lecturer in the Music Department, Faculty of Fine Arts, at Erciyes University, Kayseri. He currently teaches the ney at SOAS, University of London, and at the YEI.

Course details

Start Date: Saturday 14 October 2017

End Date: Saturday 2 December 2017

Venue: Yunus Emre Institute – London, 10 Maple Street London, W1T 5HA

Fee: £140

More info and registration: for a course application form and terms email londra@yee.org.tr or call Mrs. Emel Albayrak on 0207 387 3036