The Inventor
Görkem Şen
Composer, sound engineer and multi-instrumentalist. Şen builds instruments that do not extend tradition — they begin new ones. His experimental instruments create sound textures beyond conventional musical structures, and his work is taught at universities including MIT.
He collaborates with A-list musicians, composers and performers around the world — and remains the only person who plays the Yaybahar.
A short history
Görkem Şen invents the Yaybahar in Istanbul — strings, springs and membranes, entirely acoustic.
The Yaybahar is patented. The first videos of the instrument begin travelling the world.
Max Richter records the only Yaybahar in existence for a film score built around its voice.
Prehistoric Planet — with the Yaybahar carrying major themes — wins two Hollywood Music in Media Awards.
The Spring Orchestra grows: DarbBahar percussion, the ShanBahar choir, and more than 40 solo concerts across Europe, America and Asia.
Echoes in academics
Taught, written about, and studied
- Featured in MIT's Design Across Scales course
- Articles, theses and books in multiple languages
- Master classes at universities worldwide
- Even found its way into children's books
- Explored as an unconventional modality for sound therapy