Ney player and master artisan.
Born in the town of Gerede, in Turkey, he graduated from the Faculty of Theology of the University of Ankara. He started learning the ney, the Sufi reed flute, at the age of 14, though it was during his time at university that he plunged fully into the instrument, under the maestro Fatih Koca, who also introduced him to the religious repertoire of Turkish music, especially that of the Sufi orders. Based in Istanbul, in 2004 he opened “Neynevâ”, his ney-making workshop, now a landmark in Turkey. Despite its simplicity – the ney is a single reed – it is an enigmatic flute that for centuries has been the particular instrument of Sufi musicians. A simple instrument, in the right hands, like those of Rifat Varol, they ney can produce the most profound, sophisticated sounds.
