![](//www.4rfv.com/images/no_image.jpg)
Student Spotlight: Ya mur Soydemir The Berklee graduate student discusses her greatest inspirations, her love of ultimate frisbee, and the process of reworking a traditional Turkish folk song for a humanitarian relief project.
By
Editorial Staff
December 18, 2023
Ya mur Soydemir
Image courtesy of the artist
What's it like to study at Berklee? Our Student Spotlight series asks current students all about their Berklee experience-what they're learning in class, what kinds of projects they're involved in onstage or behind the scenes, how they recharge, and of course, what they're listening to. This week, meet Ya mur Soydemir, a flutist from Ankara, T rkiye (historically anglicized as Turkey). Ya mur earned her bachelors degree in performance and contemporary writing and production (CWP) at Berklee, and is now a student in the Berklee Global Jazz Institutes Master of Music in global jazz program.
Follow Ya mur on Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
Tell us about your path to Berklee. What made you decide to come here?A heartfelt thank you, dear Berklee Now, for interviewing me; it is an honor. Let us commence!
I began my music education and flute studies at the age of 11 at Hacettepe Conservatory in my hometown Ankara, T rkiye. In addition to my classical music studies, I developed a deep interest in pop, jazz, and other genres of music. During middle school, I was already arranging well-known pop and jazz tunes for an ensemble of eight flutes, which we then performed with our flute class in concerts held throughout T rkiye.
After completing high school, I pursued a bachelors degree in classical flute performance at the Nice Conservatory in France. Throughout my studies, I participated in several solo flute and chamber music competitions in France and Europe, winning first and second place awards. At the same time, I began accompanying various jazz bands on European tours. Subsequently, during my masters degree studies at Lugano Conservatory in Switzerland, I founded and led my own jazz ensemble.
Motivated by a growing passion for jazz and a strong desire for further exploration, I applied to Berklee College of Music. After the evaluation process and receiving a full-tuition scholarship, I relocated to Boston, which marked a transformative moment in my career. Notably, I also received the Jazz Talent of the Year Scholarship from the Jazz Society of T rkiye during the same year.
At Berklee, I pursued a double major in contemporary writing and production and jazz performance. And this year, I am very grateful for being accepted to the Berklee Global Jazz Institute's one-year master's degree program with a full-tuition scholarship. Currently, my artistic pursuits include composing original music, arranging for both small and large ensembles, and providing flute instruction in both in-person and remote settings. I am currently exploring collaborations and looking to establish my own band.
Whats been your favorite class so far, and what has it taught you?Choosing only one class from Berklee is impossible for me! However, I can list some of my favorite and most impactful courses! I highly recommend future students to take a look at these incredible professors:
Performance Pedagogy with Marco Pignataro; Effortless Mastery with Kenny Werner; Directed Study with Danilo P rez, John Patitucci, and Ben Street; Original Fusion Ensemble with Tiger Okoshi; Intensive Introduction to Film Scoring with Sheldon Mirowitz; DAW Writing and Mixing Concepts with Danny McIntyre; the Berklee Indian Ensemble; Music Business with Eirini Tornesaki; and Small Jazz Band with Ed Tomassi.
Whats a project youve worked on since coming to Berklee?The most recent project I realized at Berklee took place this year, in February 2023. Following the serious earthquakes in T rkiye, we organized a project with the aim of collecting donations from global citizens for the earthquake victims, which was titled Earthquake Relief Project for T rkiye. We coproduced the project with Kemal Oksal, a professor in the Contemporary Writing and Production Department at Berklee. We took a traditional Turkish folk song and arranged and orchestrated it for orchestra, choir, vocal soloists, and ethnic instruments. Later on, we recorded this arrangement with 72 volunteer Berklee musicians from 30 different countries at the Shames [Family Scoring Stage] studio at Berklee, and we released it in collaboration with Berklee Productions. We hope that this project has led to an increase in donations and has made a positive impact on earthquake victims. You may watch the video here:
How do you typically recharge or find new ideas outside of class?When seeking new ideas for my artistic creations, I find great benefit in examining artworks created in the past. By analyzing the elements that motivate me in those works, focusing on why I appreciate them, I come to know myself better and generate new ideas to pursue. Amidst the constraints of classes, projects, concerts, and responsibilities, like many Berklee students, I have limited time (almost none). However, among my favorite activities in general, I enjoy watching intelligent movies, spending time with my close friends, and exploring the city. However, my most beloved hobby, which Ive been engaged in for almost a decade, is playing ultimate frisbee competitively in teams across T rkiye, Europe, and the USA. To those who havent heard of this intense sport yet, I strongly recommend watching a video of the sport immediately!
When you think towards your own future, who inspires you the most?Not just one person, but individuals who are dedicated to their work or life purpose, work diligently, put in effort, dont give up on their dreams, persist, and believe in themselves-when I see such individuals, it truly becomes a huge source of inspiration to me. I instantly find the ener
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
26/07/2024
by Ianeta Le'i
I honestly don't remember the first time I met Bryson Ch...
26/07/2024
(L-R) Louise (Karen Gillan) and Antonina (Margaret Sophie Stein) strike up an un...
26/07/2024
Last month, Spotify's annual Songs of Summer predictions made their return, ...
26/07/2024
Summer is peak season for some of our favorite sports and events. Whether you're rooting for the home team at the ballpark or cheering for your country as i...
26/07/2024
Nine talented young professionals completed their vocational training at SGL Carbon in Meitingen from the beginning of June to mid-July, achieving an overall gr...
26/07/2024
Orders1 of $5.2 billion; book-to-bill of 1.0x
Revenue of $5.3 billion, up 13%
...
26/07/2024
(Editor's note: TVTech reached out to several station groups to determine the impact of the CrowdStrike outage on operations. Many, including NextStar Media...
26/07/2024
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. Bitcentral has integrated Pixalate's ad fraud protection, privacy and compliance analytics solution Post-Bid Analytics and Reporting i...
26/07/2024
Aldous Huxley's classic novel Brave New World is a science fiction thriller set in a murky future with a highly ordered society. While Huxley and other sc...
26/07/2024
Hollyland Adds Pyro 7 All-in-one Video Monitor, TX and RX to Pyro Series
Brie Clayton July 26, 2024
0 Comments
Seven-inch 2.4/5GHz wireless monitor wi...
26/07/2024
Geddy Lee Asks Are Bass Players Human Too? Graded Using DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton July 26, 2024
0 Comments
Blackmagic today announced that t...
26/07/2024
Another reminder of the popularity of ad-supported connected TV comes in a survey by Premion and Advertiser Perceptions which found that 61% of the marketers th...
26/07/2024
Nielsen's Gracenote unit said it is selling its metadata about the content of television shows and movies for use in targeting connected-TV advertising camp...
26/07/2024
CBS premieres 13 Days in Ferguson, a special about the aftermath of a police shooting of a young Black man in 2014, on Friday, August 9. The special features Ce...
26/07/2024
Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery announced the launch of their long-awaited premium streaming bundle for the United States. For $16.99 per month, subscribers w...
26/07/2024
It provides multi-voltage output (14.4V, 28V, and 48V) through two XLR4 outputs and one XLR3, offering power to cameras, monitors, and lighting equipment
By Je...
26/07/2024
The lawsuit submitted by investor Scott Baker claims the deal would cost Paramount shareholders $1.65 billion
By Jenny Priestley
Published: July 26, 2024
...
26/07/2024
Florida-based Video Village Miami provides on-set video assist for local commercials and music videos. Frank Collins established the outfit in 2019 after a 20-y...
26/07/2024
QuickLink, the leading global provider of multi-camera video productions and remote contribution solutions, will present QuickLink StudioPro at IBC 2024 (Stand ...
26/07/2024
Relo Metrics (formerly GumGum Sports), the leading AI-powered sponsorship analytics platform for real-time data decisions, today launched an industry-leading in...
26/07/2024
Anton/Bauer, a leading provider of mobile power systems for the film and television industry, has announced the launch of the VCLX LI 1600. The latest evolution...
26/07/2024
Bitcentral, the leading provider of professional media solutions for broadcast and digital video, today announces that it has integrated Pixalate, the ad fraud ...
26/07/2024
Cobalt Iron Inc., a leading provider of SaaS-based enterprise data protection, today announced that Secure Automated Backup with Compass , a cloud backup-as-a-s...
26/07/2024
VisualOn IBC2024 Exhibitor Preview
Sept. 13-16
Amsterdam
Stand 5.A52
As video streaming consumption surges, service providers face significant challenges wi...
26/07/2024
Quanteec
IBC2024 Exhibitor Preview
Sept. 13-16
RAI Amsterdam
Stand 1.A05
Quanteec, a global provider of video delivery technology for broadcasters, will s...
26/07/2024
Witbe
IBC2024 Exhibitor Preview
Sept. 13-16
Amsterdam
Stand 5.F84
At IBC2024, Witbe will showcase the power of its automated testing and proactive monitori...
26/07/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. The Federal Communications Commission has announced the launch of its new Mobile Speed Test app. The new app features an enhanced user interfac...
26/07/2024
LONDON In a notable landmark for the use of cloud-based services at the Olympics, Alibaba Cloud and Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), has today announced the...
26/07/2024
NEW YORK As part of a $2.5 billion media rights deal with the NBA announced on July 24, NBCUniversal and the NBA have also announced an 11-year agreement for ri...
26/07/2024
BEAVERTON, Ore. Versatile Video Coding (VVC) promises to play a pivotal role in driving advancements in video compression technology, with organizations across ...
26/07/2024
COLUMBUS, Ohio The political news channel PurpleTV has expanded it reach with news that it has launched on Channel 25.1 in Columbus, Ohio on TV Station WXOH, wh...
26/07/2024
NEW YORK As part of a push into the contextual advertising business, Nielsen's Gracenote has announced that it is developing new contextual categories to gi...
26/07/2024
Puget Systems Returns to SIGGRAPH 2024 to Demonstrate its On-Premises Generative...
26/07/2024
Dreamtek Delivers Innovative A/V, Live Production and Post Workflows with Blackm...
26/07/2024
Dejero to bring even smarter' mobile internet connectivity solutions to IBC...
26/07/2024
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games are about to begin, and Capitol Broadcasting is rea...
26/07/2024
Berklee Alumni Nominated for 2024 Emmy Awards Twenty-one Berklee alumni received Emmy nominations this year for music composition, sound mixing, and sound editi...
26/07/2024
Jennifer Lyons, president and general manager of WBBM Chicago, is moving into a ...
26/07/2024
Kennan Oliphant has been named VP of news and station manager at WWJ Detroit. He will report to Jennifer Lyons, who has added a regional GM role that gives her ...
26/07/2024
Charlie Hustle & The Matter of Pete Rose, a four-part docuseries, debuts on HBO and Max July 24. The series details the life of the baseball superstar, includin...
26/07/2024
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games present a unique and exciting opportunity for local...
26/07/2024
Paris 2024: V varo Providing Live Media Transport Services for Leading Internati...
26/07/2024
Paris 2024: BBC Sport on Its Remote Production Workflow for the Summer Games By Heather McLean, SVG Europe
Friday, July 26, 2024 - 7:31 am
Print This Story...
26/07/2024
Paris 2024: BBC Sport Unveils the Olympic Storytelling and Breathtaking Scenery ...
26/07/2024
Paris 2024: Taking a Step Forwards with BBC Sport's Olympic Studio Combining...
26/07/2024
Paris 2024: Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe Provides a First Look at Its Ol...
26/07/2024
Live From Paris 2024: NBC Olympics Set for Historic Opening Ceremony Unilateral coverage builds on impressive OBS production as NBC dives deep into Team USA cov...
26/07/2024
Live From Paris 2024: SVG's Onsite Editorial Team Breaks Down Opening Ceremo...
26/07/2024
True-crime documentary, The Body Next Door to launch on Sky Documentaries and NO...