Beklen Band
was founded in Vienna in 2017
by Tuğba and Çağrı.
The project blends original compositions with carefully crafted arrangements inspired by melodies from different cultures, combining acoustic and electronic elements without being limited to a single genre.
Today, Beklen Band operates as a Vienna-based independent music project focused on strong songwriting, high-quality production, and cinematic visual content.
Rather than performing frequently, the project concentrates on releasing carefully produced singles, music videos, and consistent digital content — with the aim of building an international audience organically and sustainably.
TUĞBA YAGMUR vocals
Tuğba Yağmur (born 1988 in Kırşehir, Turkey) is a Vienna-based vocalist and co-founder of Beklen Band. She began her musical journey at a young age with vocal training and choir performances, later studying piano and flute during her school years.
Since moving to Vienna in 2000, she has been active in various musical projects, including studio recordings, theater music productions, and live performances. Between 2009 and 2017 she contributed vocals to numerous theater music recordings by Çağrı Beklen.
Alongside her musical work, she studied International Business at the University of Vienna and completed film studies in Vienna. In 2017 she co-founded Beklen Band, where she continues to perform as the lead vocalist.
ÇAĞRI BEKLEN guitar
Çağrı Beklen is a composer and musician based in Vienna. He has written music for more than fifty theatre and film productions and received several awards for his work. Trained in jazz guitar and classical composition, he began playing guitar at the age of nine.
Since 2006 he has composed for major theatre productions in Turkey. From 2012 to 2016 he taught composition, theory, and orchestral conducting at the State Conservatory of Kocaeli University. Since 2018 he has been teaching Composition and Film Music at the Franz Schubert Conservatory in Vienna.
Beklen is a voting member of the Recording Academy, runs his own studio, and performs with vocalist Tuğba Yağmur in Beklen Band.
EDITH LETTNER saxophone
Edith Lettner is an Austrian saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist known for her work in jazz, improvised music, and world music. She plays alto and soprano saxophone as well as the Armenian woodwind instrument duduk, and has performed internationally with numerous artists across diverse musical traditions.
MARCO MRCELLA drums
Marco Mrčela is an Austrian drummer and percussionist from Carinthia. He studied drums and percussion at the Anton Bruckner Private University in Linz and has been involved in many bands and projects. His playing style focuses on rhythmic experimentation and combining percussion techniques with modern drum set performance.
YUSUF TOPÇU drums
Yusuf Topçu is the oldest member of the band and the driving force behind its rhythm. A self-taught drummer, he began playing in Istanbul in 1984 and has been based in Vienna since 1989.
Alongside his main profession, he has been active on stage for more than 40 years, first in Istanbul and Ankara and later in Vienna. During the 1990s and 2000s he performed with projects such as the rock trio Ahududu and the Vienna Orient Project, and he is also known for playing Mediterranean world music with the band Lakis & Achwach.
In the late 1990s he ran his own recording studio in Vienna called His Master’s Noise. His musical influences include artists such as Jeff Beck and Frank Zappa.
TUNCAY GÖREN bağlama
Tuncay Gören is a bağlama player based in Austria. Coming from a musical background, he began playing the bağlama at a young age and developed a style rooted in Turkish folk traditions.
In Turkey he has worked with many well-known artists, including Müslüm Gürses and İbrahim Tatlıses, before continuing his musical work in various international projects and recordings in Europe.
