Feramis Aktas

Born in Izmir in 1965, Feramis Aktas began his journey in woodworking workshops as a young apprentice. In 1981, at age sixteen, he entered the workshop of Sinai Ozkan — an encounter that would shape the next four and a half decades of his craft. Under Ozkan’s tutelage, he immersed himself in the construction of traditional Turkish musical instruments: oud, tanbur, lavta, and qanun.

Sinai Ozkan was a revered authority in Turkish instrument construction and a pivotal figure in the Turkish oud tradition. Through years at his bench, Feramis mastered every facet of the craft — the selection of seasoned tonewoods, the precise shaping of the soundbox, the calibration of bracing and rosette for ideal resonance. Each lesson carried forward the techniques that define Anatolian luthiery.

Today, Feramis works from his Izmir atelier. His Turkish ouds are built one at a time, with materials chosen by ear and eye, and methods refined over forty-five years. Each instrument carries a distinct voice — prepared to express the full depth of Turkish maqams, from solemn Hicaz to luminous Rast.

While his primary work remains the classical Turkish oud, his portfolio has expanded over the years to include modern variants, including professional electric ouds — instruments that bring the maqam tradition into amplified contexts without compromising the soul of the original form.