Young Turkish courier draws applause with exquisite piano recital at hotel

By Fatih Ulas

ISTANBUL (AA) – An unexpecting audience was left in awe in a hotel in Istanbul when a young courier treated them to a rendition of Mozart's Turkish March.

After delivering a package at the hotel on the central Taksim Square, 19-year-old Can Incir asked for permission to play at the establishment's piano with staff and guests alike listening in delight.

"When I took my order, I asked hotel staff to play the piano. Thankfully, they let me play. The people there liked it, and the staff supported me. After all of this happened, people on social media, including Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, started talking about me," Incir told Anadolu.

Incir said he started playing the piano on the computer when he was 12, but never received any musical training.

"Completely rote-based, I establish (my) two-hand coordination in my head. First, I learn to play with my right hand, then my left hand. After learning the melody, I combine them and that's how I play the piece."

"Since I saw I could do stuff on the piano, I watched more videos and learned more songs.

"I realized that this wasn't enough for me. I got my current piano as I improved myself and got this good thanks to my digital piano at home. Maybe, I'd be better if I had an acoustic piano," he added.

Incir said he had been working as a courier for a month, while at the same time studying computer-aided design and animation. But, his dream is to study at a music school.

Batuhan Gultakan, the head of the courier company where Incir works, said he called the young aspiring pianist to congratulate him.

"We realized that he learned the piano on his own and didn't receive any training. We decided to support him in achieving his dream through an appropriate education. We're going to be his sponsor on this journey," he said.

* Writing by Gozde Bayar