about

Batuhan Aydın was born in Istanbul on July 14, 1991. His mother’s family originates from the Ludogorie (Deliorman) region of Bulgaria. His father’s roots lie in Gümüşhane, a city in Türkiye’s eastern Black Sea region. He grew up in an environment deeply shaped by his parents’ work as folk dance choreographers and folklorists, which played a formative role in his artistic development.

 

At the age of 15, Aydın was admitted to the high school division of Istanbul Technical University’s Turkish Music State Conservatory, where he studied the kaval with Cihan Yurtçu. He later continued his training with Serdar Deli and Haydar Tanrıverdi.

 

From 2010 to 2013, Aydın was a member of the Youth Orchestra of the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT). In 2014, he became the youngest instrumentalist to perform at the 1st International Kaval Conference in Istanbul.

 

Aydın continued his studies of the kaval with Prof. Lyuben Dossev at the Academy of Music, Dance, and Fine Arts “Prof. Asen Diamandiev” in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. He later pursued academic research at the Department of Musicology at Istanbul Technical University’s Turkish Music State Conservatory and earned a master’s degree in Music and Performing Arts from Yıldız Technical University.

 

In his 2020 article “The Kaval and the Symphonic Orchestra,” Theodosii Spassov—the pioneer of modern kaval performance—recognized Aydın as one of the most promising artists carrying the instrument’s legacy forward. Today, Aydın is widely regarded as a distinctive voice reshaping the identity of the kaval in both classical and contemporary contexts.

 

Batuhan Aydın is the founding member of KAPIKO, an Istanbul-based ethno/world jazz and fusion ensemble centered on the kaval as its lead instrument. The ensemble’s most recent album, Nova (2022), is widely regarded as a milestone in Turkish fusion and ethno/world jazz and was listed among the best Turkish jazz albums of 2022 by Türkiye’s leading jazz magazine, Cazkolik.

 

In 2022, Aydın released Yana, an intriguing example of oriental electronic fusion, in collaboration with the Bulgarian electronic music producer Ivan Shopov. The work merges traditional oriental elements with a modern electronic language, resulting in a distinctive and immersive sonic experience.

 

In 2024, Aydın broke new ground with Chifte Kaval, a collaboration with Theodosii Spassov, with whom he shares a deep artistic friendship. The project marked the first time that two kaval players from different cultural backgrounds have performed together as soloists with a classical orchestra. Chifte Kaval narrates the story of the kaval—an instrument that has borne witness to centuries of cultural history in Anatolia and the Balkans—through a musical dialogue rooted in friendship and shared heritage. The project premiered to great acclaim on June 5, 2024, at Istanbul’s Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall.

 

In early 2026, Aydın founded the Batuhan Aydın Folk Quartet. Bringing together Aydın’s contemporary and experimental improvisational approach with the Austrian pianist and composer Nikolaus Grill’s microtonal harmonic concepts, the project has developed a distinctive musical language. The quartet, featuring Kağan Yıldız on double bass and Ediz Hafızoğlu on drums, later joined forces with Turkish folk-jazz vocalist Jülide Özçelik for Homewards (2026), the project’s debut album. The album also features guest appearances by internationally renowned musicians such as Ara Dinkjian, Nils Petter Molvær, and Cenk Erdoğan.

 

Alongside his artistic career, Aydın is active as an academic and scholar. He regularly conducts workshops and masterclasses worldwide, focusing on advanced kaval performance techniques, traditional Bulgarian folk music, and related performance practices. Through these international teaching activities, he has established himself as a global ambassador of the kaval, reaching students and professionals around the world.

 

Batuhan Aydın is one of the leading kaval players of his generation and a pioneer of modern kaval performance. Deeply rooted in the folk traditions of Anatolia and the Balkans, yet open and experimental in vision, he has redefined the role of the kaval in both traditional and contemporary music. Through his innovative techniques, distinctive improvisational vocabulary, and artistic commitment, Batuhan Aydın continues to shape the future of this ancient instrument—building bridges across cultures and time with every note he plays. His work not only honors the kaval’s rich cultural heritage but also transforms it into a vital and expressive voice within contemporary music, leaving a lasting mark on the art of kaval performance worldwide.