About

Göksel Yılmaz was born in the Netherlands and spent part of his childhood in Antakya, the hometown of his parents. This ancient city, formerly known as Antioch, is situated in a predominantly Arab region in southern Turkey. Göksel grew up immersed in the Dutch, Turkish, and Arabic languages, cultures, and music. From a young age, he played the saz, a Turkish stringed instrument, specializing in Turkish folk music. During his secondary school years in Turkey, he played the saz in a folk choir and formed his first band. After returning to the Netherlands, he established the band Anadolu Ezgisi, with whom he performed for over ten years across the Netherlands, Germany, and Turkey. Concurrently, he began studying classical guitar at the conservatory in Enschede under the esteemed concert guitarist, lutenist, and composer Louis Ignatius Gall.

In 2006, Göksel Yılmaz founded the Göksel Yılmaz Ensemble, with whom he has performed in Belgium, Turkey, Indonesia, Switzerland, Germany, Cyprus, and the Netherlands. While in the Netherlands, the ensemble was invited to perform at prestigious festivals, music venues, and theaters, including the Music Meeting in Nijmegen, the Dunya Festival in Rotterdam, RASA in Utrecht, and Het Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. The ensemble also performed alongside Jan Akkerman and Eric Vloeimans.

He is a versatile musician, bandleader, composer, and arranger influenced by traditional Turkish and Arabic music, as well as Western styles such as jazz, blues, and classical. In addition to the oud, he plays the classical guitar and the bağlama.

In 2011, Göksel Yılmaz Ensemble released their debut album, Gezgin (The Traveller). Between 2013 and 2015, Yılmaz composed and arranged music for two dance performances by the Internationaal Danstheater: Silk and Si-Lin. This was followed by a tour of over 50 performances in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Indonesia by the GYE and the IDT. In 2016, Göksel and his ensemble released a second album, Kan Zaman (There Was a Time). This album made it to the list of the 20 best records in the World Music Charts Europe. In May 2018, Kan Zaman was re-released by the notable Turkish record label Kalan Music. Between 2019 and 2020, he composed the music for the American film The Hunter (directed by Alexander P. Gutterman). In October 2020, Göksel Yılmaz released the solo single ‘Memleket Isterim’ on Kalan Music. Between 2021 and 2022, he and his ensemble collaborated with the Matangi Quartet to pay tribute to the Arab singer Fairuz, performing two intimate concerts at the Beauforthuis and Schouwburg Hengelo. Between 2023 and 2025, Göksel recorded his solo album Geboortegrond, which was released in June 2025.