Erdal Yavuz (16), from the Qesra Qenco neighbourhood in the Derik district of Mardin, started playing pipes when he was just 12 years old.
Now he can play five different wind instruments. He explained his musical journey: “I started playing pipes in 2016. Then I played the mey and the zurna. And finally I started playing the dengbêj [traditional Kurdish folk singer] instrument the duduk.”
Yavuz, who can play woodwind instruments such as the kaval, duduk, zurna, ney and mey, also performs live at events. He can play dengbêji kilams and also sings many kilams from Kurdish traditional music.
His biggest dream is to be successful like the Kurdish artist Egîdê Cimo, known as Mîrê Bilûrê, who died in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, in 2019.