İnci Yakar Birol studied piano and composition at the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (MSGSÜ) Istanbul State Conservatory and continued her studies at the Hochschule für Musik Saar in Germany. Supported by scholarships from institutions including Eczacıbaşı, the Richard Wagner Verband and the Bruno Meindl Foundation, she completed her studies there, earning the Concert Pianist and then the Soloist diplomas.
In Europe she performed at the Schwetzingen Mozart Festival, made recordings for SR-2KulturRadio and appeared as a soloist with orchestras at the Luxembourg Philharmonie, Metz-Arsenal in France and in Saarbrücken. She also performs solo and chamber music regularly in concert halls across Turkey.
Her composition Sesli Kitap, from her solo album Saygun’a Saygı, won second prize at the Sonus International Composition Competition in the USA, after which she performed her own works alongside compositions by Saygun at a gala concert in Washington D.C. She serves as a jury member for international competitions and teaches as a Professor at the MSGSÜ Istanbul State Conservatory.