Juneyt Yetkiner

He didn’t pick up guitar until the age of 18, but it seems that Juneyt was destined from birth to be a musician. His name means “Soldier of Music” in his native tongue, and has proven to be a true foreshadowing of his life path.

Born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey, Juneyt is a self-taught musician and has been playing flamenco guitar since the age of 18. Drawn to the passion and raw emotion of music, he has played alongside many well-known musicians through-out his career.

He has performed as a studio guitarist on more than 15 albums and at numerous festivals in Europe, Asia, South & North America (Rib-Fest Cambridge, Millrace Festival, Waterloo Streets Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, Toronto Jazz Festival, Mexico International Guitar Festival, to mention a few)

He has built his career as a professional musician playing Internationally also in and around Kitchener Waterloo GTA Area.

Achievements:

Juneyt has been nominated in 3 categories for Toronto Independent Music Awards 2 years in a row (2015 & 2016), he has been a four-time nominee for Waterloo Region Arts Awards (2008, 2010, 2012, 2014), Juneyt Won Record Readers Choice Awards in 3 different categories 3 years in a row (2014-2015 & 2016).

Juneyt has composed music for two television documentaries and won 5 Diamond Readers Choice Awards (2014-2015-2016) represented by the Record Newspaper.

He was chosen as Hero of the Month by Grand River Living TV Show on Rogers, and has been selected by the Ontario Arts Council to serve on the jury for the Popular Music Grant. He won Echo Magazine’s Best Local Musician Award.

In 2012, he was chosen by the Mexican Government to perform at the Zihuatanejo International Guitar Festival representing Canada, alongside 13 of the world’s finest guitarists. He has had the honor to open for many well-known musicians such as Alex Cuba (Juno & Grammy winner), John McDermott, Also in 2015 & 2016 he had the honor of playing guitar for some of Turkey’s Most Famous Musicians, Guler Duman, Zelal Gokce, Ali Kemal.

Community Contribution:

Juneyt is a very active member of the community. He is a Musical Ambassador between Turkish and Canadian Governments, a role that involves performing many times throughout the year for political and cultural events organized by Canadian and Turkish Governments in Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, and across Canada.

He is Musical and Educational Director for H20 Congo Movement, President of Chris Lane Foundation for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Cancer.

Juneyt also regularly donates his time and talent to worthwhile organizations like United Way, Alzheimer’s Society, Parkinson’s Society, Make a Wish foundation, KidsAbility, numerous cancer organizations, Nutrition for Learning, Deaf and Blind Ontario, Stroke Foundation, Sick Kids Hospital, KidsLink, Kidney Foundation, Terry Fox Run, numerous hospital fundraisers, Sexual Assault Center, Canadian Diabetes Association, Women in Crisis, Argus House, Big Brothers Big Sisters, The Museum, KW Habilitation, Mennonite Coalition for Refugee Support, Focus for Ethnic Women, Tri-Parade, Intercultural Dialogue Institute, H20 Congo and many more.