Biography

As a polyphonic vocal ensemble, the foundation of Ychorus dates back to 1996. It was founded by Haluk Polat, comprised of the members of Music Club within the premises of Bogazici University. In 1998, Ychorus released its first album “Renkler”, which is the first album of a vocal ensemble that includes unique polyphonic arrangements of folk songs in Turkey. Following a long break of 16 years, Ychorus was reestablished in 2015. Led by the musical director Haluk Polat, comprising of new vocalists, the brand new ensemble competed at 2016 Corfu International Music Festival in folklor category and was granted a Golden Diploma for its performance. Additionally, Ychorus had multiple on stage performances in Greece soon after the Festival. Upon this great comeback, Ychorus continued its performances in greater İstanbul region. In 2018, it took a step further by starting recording sessions and released its first single in April that year, that is followed by three other singles same year. The musical offerings of Ychorus have been gathered from numerous cultures Turkey and beyond; from Anatolia to Middle East, to the Balkans and Caucasia, embracing differences. All the pieces in the repertoire are arranged or originally written by Haluk Polat. While the ensemble primarily performs the arrangements of folk songs, it also performs rich expressions of popular music in order to bridge the gap between traditional songs and contemporary compositions.