Dedication and Growth: Halil Efe Yabeyli from Turkey’s Yadigar Sanat Wins Platinum at the Best Classical Musicians Awards
- WOMCO
- Aug 28
- 3 min read
Halil Efe Yabeyli, a young pianist from Turkey, studying with Yalçın İnan at Yadigar Sanat, received the Platinum Prize in the Best Musician in Age 11–13 Category of the 2025 Season 3 The Best Classical Musicians Awards.
Could you tell us a bit about yourself, your music training journey, and your goals for the future in music?
Hey, I’m Halil Efe Yabeyli, I’m 12 years old. I started playing the piano when I was 9, just because I was curious at first. But it quickly became my biggest passion! For the last two years, I’ve been taking lessons with my teacher, Yalçın İnan, at Yadigar Sanat. His lessons have helped me get way better at technique and really feel the music. Playing the piano makes me feel free. In the future, I want to be a professional pianist, perform on big stages, and maybe even write my own music. My biggest dream is to inspire people with my music!
Could you tell us more about your award-winning piano performance? For instance, how did you prepare for it, bring it to life, or are there any interesting behind-the-scenes stories you’d like to share?
I worked super hard for the Best Classical Musician Awards. My teacher, Yalçın İnan, and I picked out my pieces and practiced them a ton. Since it was an online competition, we recorded my performance video on the last day at Yadigar Sanat. I practiced every day to make sure the pieces were perfect, both technically and emotionally—some weeks, I was practicing 3-4 hours a day! I was pretty nervous during the recording because I wanted everything to be just right. One cool moment was right before we started filming: I took a deep breath at the piano and kept telling myself, “You’ve got this!” I think that really helped me nail it, because I believe if you trust yourself, you can do anything. I had a good feeling about the performance afterward, and when I found out I won, I was over the moon!
What did a typical day of practice look like for you, and how did your family support your passion? How do you manage your time between training and schoolwork?
I go to school in the mornings, so I usually practice piano in the afternoon or evening. I spend about 2-3 hours a day at the piano. I start with warm-up exercises, then work on my pieces. I try to stay organized with the homework my teacher gives me. My family is awesome—they’re always there for me, cheering me on, especially during the video recording at Yadigar Sanat. Balancing school and piano can be tricky sometimes, but I make a schedule. I finish my homework early so I have time for piano. Plus, playing the piano actually helps me chill out from school stress!
Would you like to share your experience participating in our competition and anyone you'd like to thank?
Joining the Best Classical Musician Awards online was so exciting! Watching other pianists’ videos and preparing my own performance taught me a lot. I worked hard to get ready for the video recording at Yadigar Sanat, and it really helped me grow as a musician. I want to give a huge thank you to my teacher, Yalçın İnan—his guidance made this win possible. Big thanks to my family too; they always believed in me and helped out during the video shoot. I also want to thank Serkan Avcı, the owner of Yadigar Sanat, for giving us such a great place to work. And shoutout to my friends and teachers at Yadigar Sanat for always cheering me on. This award makes me want to keep practicing even more!
Biography
Halil Efe Yabeyli is a 12-year-old young pianist. He started playing piano at age 9 and has been training with Yalçın İnan at Yadigar Sanat for two years. He won first place in the Best Classical Musician Awards international online piano competition. Halil Efe loves expressing his feelings through music and dreams of becoming a professional pianist and composing his own pieces in the future.
