Derya Türkan and Sokratis Sinopoulos have been the most influential Istanbul kemençesi or Politiki lyra performers for almost three decades now. Together, they have recorded two albums as part of their Letter from Istanbul project and individually, they have performed significant concerts and recordings as leaders or in collaboration with prominent international musicians in a variety of musical styles from classical to contemporary improvisation.
They share a longtime friendship which started when they met in their late teens and they have since become pioneers in collaborations between Greek and Turkish musicians exploring the common ground between these two cultures.