Esin Afşar

Esin Afşar — Biography

Esin Sinanoğlu Afşar was born in Bari, Italy, the daughter of consular official Nüzhet Haşim Sinanoğlu and sister of the chemist Oktay Sinanoğlu. Educated at TED Ankara College and the piano department of the Ankara State Conservatory, she took voice lessons from Madam Hidalgo and Madam Böhm, who also taught Leyla Gencer and Maria Callas, then joined the State Theatres as a pianist in the 1940s and spent twelve years as a stage actress under Muhsin Ertuğrul. After meeting Ruhi Su she turned toward contemporary Turkish folk music, becoming known for her 1969 recording "Yoh Yoh," and toured widely as a cultural representative, including a trip to Hungary; in 1975 she competed in the national final that chose Turkey's Eurovision entry, performing "Canı Sıkılan Adam." An outspoken critic of the arabesque genre, she wrote the protest song "Arabeske İnat" and later recorded jazz interpretations of Âşık Veysel's songs. In 1984, after the military coup, she joined the delegation that delivered the Intellectuals' Petition to the presidency. Married first to actor Kerim Afşar and later to Şener Aral, and active in several civic associations, she took a film role in Neredesin Firuze (2004) and died of leukemia on 14 November 2011 at a hospital in Istanbul, and was buried at Karacaahmet Cemetery.