Munir Nurettin Beken was born in Istanbul in 1964, and was named after the famous Turkish singer and composer Munir Nurettin Selcuk. He joined the State Conservatory of Istanbul at the age of 11, and studied oud with the great teacher Mutlu Torun, author of one of the best oud methods. After graduating, he became a teacher at the Conservatory while studying for his Master's degree. His career began with composing music for film, television and ballet. He was also one of the founding members of the State Turkish Music Ensemble. In 1989, he went to the University of Maryland where he headed the Centre for Turkish Music. He regularly performs in the USA and Turkey and gives lectures on Turkish classical music, and you can find more information on his website at the University of Washington.