The Turkish composer Evrim Demirel is among the most important representatives of the younger Turkish generation. Born in Izmir in 1977, he studied first at Bilkent University in Ankara, then moving on to the Netherlands, where he was a student of composition, electronic music and jazz piano at the Rotterdam Conservatory. Later, Demirel studied with Theo Loevendie at the Amsterdam Conservatory, from which he graduated with a master’s degree in 2007. One characteristic element of Demirel’s compositions is the combination of a Central European musical language with the idioms of his homeland. This is reflected mainly in his use of instruments from the Eastern Mediterranean region, such as qanun, setar and oud, in his numerous compositions for chamber ensemble. Apart from concerti for clarinet, saxophone and jazz piano, his oeuvre also contains the opera Ninatta (2015) and the orchestral work Fasil No. 1 for Turkish ensemble and orchestra (2010). Evrim Demirel currently is a professor at the jazz department of the Istanbul State University; he also performs as a jazz pianist with his own ensemble.