Rebetiko Band
OUR TEAM
Doğukan Yurt
I was born in 1990 in İzmir. I studied international trade in high school and university. Currently, I work at a foreign trade company. I started music in middle school by playing the bağlama. Through the encouragement and suggestions of our lead vocalist Serap Çiğdem Şahin, I became involved in Rebetiko, a genre I had been somewhat listening to and performing with my bağlama at that time.
Since its founding, I have been a member of the Agora Minör music group. Additionally, I contribute to other independent music projects and teach bouzouki lessons.
Erdem Ari
Born in 1997 in Batman, Erdem graduated from the Psychological Counseling department. He began engaging with music at a young age due to his interest in guitar. His introduction to Rebetiko music came after moving to İzmir and getting to know the Agora Minör group, where he started working in the field of Rebetiko guitar.
Erdem Ari also participates as an independent musician in international music projects and composes music.
Serap Çiğdem Şahin
Born in 1988 in Ankara, Serap completed her undergraduate studies in Finance and her master’s degree in Women’s Studies. She was introduced to Rebetiko music after moving to İzmir, through a friend from Greece, and learned Greek to explore the depths of this music. In 2018, she met Murat Küçükarslan and began singing with Agora Minör.
She is also involved in other İzmir-based music projects such as Salut de Smyrne and Bahara, which brings together musicians from İzmir and Alexandria. Additionally, she collaborates as an independent vocalist with various musicians and organizes Greek Song Reading Workshops and Baglamadaki Workshops.
Murat Küçükarslan
After completing his master’s degree in Ethnomusicology at Hacettepe University, Murat focused his work on the musical cultures of the peoples who have lived and continue to live in Anatolia, through the music ensembles he helped found. He participates in research and performance practices of Rebetiko with the Agora Minör music group, Sephardic and Mediterranean music with Salut de Smyrne, and is also a member of Bahara, a music group that connects İzmir and Alexandria.
Since 2020, he has been running Meydan Müzik Yapım, where he works in music production and consultancy.
İlker Şahin
Born in 1991 in Karaman, İlker began his acting career in 2009 at the İzmir Karşıyaka Municipality Theatre. In 2010, he started studying Econometrics at Dokuz Eylül University but did not complete his education. In 2013, he began working as a presenter in the Press and Public Relations Coordination Office at Dokuz Eylül University, gaining experience in camerawork and video editing.
In 2018, with the support of his sister Serap Çiğdem Şahin, he joined the Agora Minör group as a lead vocalist. The same year, he graduated from Anadolu University’s Aviation Management program. In 2021, İlker started working as a cameraman at the Press and Publishing Directorate of Karşıyaka Municipality and married Merve Sezer. The couple has a daughter named Algüz. In 2024, he began working as a cameraman at the Press, Publishing, and Public Relations Department of Manisa Metropolitan Municipality.
Photos: Sivan Dogan