Ahmet holds a BA degree from the Istanbul Technical University State Conservatory where he also completed his Master?s degree in Turkish Classical Music under the guidance of Professor Alaeddin Yavaş?a. He specialized in Turkish gazel (improvisation) technique, while his academic research is on the use of music and poetry in gazel forms of the late Ottoman period.

Ahmet studied makam and improvisation techniques with Niyazi Sayın, Necdet Yaşar and Kani Karaca, and performed with them in Turkey and around the world. Studying the techniques of masters of Ottoman music like Munir Nurettin Sel?uk, Bekir Sıtkı Sezgin, and Meral Uğurlu, Ahmet learned the classical singing style.

With his father, he also analyzed the old LP recordings of Hafiz Sami, Hafiz Kemal, Hafiz Osman, Izak Al Gazi, Munir Nurettin Sel?uk, Sadettin Kaynak, ?sk?darli Ali Efendi, Hafiz Mecid and others, learning their voice and singing techniques in forms such as classical songs, gazel, kaside, and mevlid. From these great masters Ahmet learned the ways in which poetry is matched to the music so that the literary substance and the musical composition are equally represented when performing vocal improvisation. Ahmet also studied and performs Sufi musical repertoire that over centuries integrated spiritual practice and artistic expression. Those include the naat in Mevlevi ayins (so called ?whirling dervish? ceremony), as well as ilahi (hymns) and kaside (improvisation on religious poetry), as essential components of the Sufi zikir (remembrance ceremony).

Ahmet Erdoğdular participated in various festivals in Europe, Asia and the Untied States performing both Ottoman classical and Sufi music. As a member of Lalezar Ensemble he performed in concerts and recorded a four CD Anthology of Ottoman Music in the United States. He performed as a soloist with The Necdet Yasar Ensemble in France, as well as with Kani Karaca in Japan, Niyazi Sayın in Austria and Kudsi Erg?ner in France, Morocco, Greece, and Italy.

Ahmet participated in the Gazel Festival in Malaysia, Biennale di Venezia, the International Mystic Sufi Music Festival in Pakistan, Fez Sacred Music Festival, and a number of music and dance festivals in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland and Spain. Ahmet performed as naathan and ayinhan in ?The Sacred Encounter,? a documentary presented by the Turkish Ministry of Culture to UNESCO for the proclamation of 2007 as The Year of Mevlana. He gave lectures, seminars and taught workshops in places such as Bosporus University in Istanbul, the Boston Conservatory, Sufi music retreat in San Francisco in the United States, and Labyrinth Music Workshop in Greece.

Ahmet worked at the Turkish Radio as soloist, recorded a number of TV music program series, and is frequently featured in TRT television music programs.

Ahmet Erdoğdular plays tambur and percussion and is based in Istanbul and New York.

Official Web Site: www.ahmeterdogdular.com