Hasan Esen, Turkish kemençe, rebab, and santur player, was born in Sivas in 1958. Esen was classically trained at a state music conservatory, where he studied kemençe music. Additionally, Esen studied kemençe with Ihsan Özgen, considered one of the most skillful and creative performers of kemençe among his generation (Özgen was born in Urfa in 1942). Branching out from Turkish classical (art) music, Esen also studied and performed the music of the Turkish Mevlevi Sufi Order