Selim Sesler

Selim Sesler was born into a professional reed horn family in 1957 in Kesan, a village located in Edirne. After the population exchanges of 1923, Sesler's family moved from Greece to Turkey and settled in an enclave of Kesan called Ibriktepe where they lived in the Yeni Mescit neighborhood. Selim began his love affair with music by learning how to play the horn, however during the 1960s many children from drum and reed horn families began to play Turkish Classical ensemble instruments and Sesler followed the trend by jumping on the bandwagon and learning how to play the clarinet.Already a regular at weddings and fairs by the age of 14, by the mid-80s Sesler set out with Roman musician friends to play in Istanbul and to develop his craft. He gained experience and recorded a lot of material by playing at restaurants with fasil groups, as a musician at the Ferhan Sensoy Theater, and by continuing to play at Roman and non-Roman weddings.In 1998 he got the chance to tour Canada with Brenna MacCrimmon, which afforded him the opportunity to represent his Turkish Roman and Rumelian roots. Drawing from his medley of musical experiences, Sesler developed a repertoire and musical style deeply reflective of his region.Whether he is among Roman peers or solo, Selim Sesler stands alone, famous for his master improvisations, expert wedding airs, and repertoire of dance melodies. Aside from being invited to play at many important festivals in countries such as Germany, France, and Sweden, over the past two years Sesler has performed many special concerts and taught at music workshops across the United States of America.