about

Batuhan Aydın was born in Istanbul on July 14, 1991. His mother’s family originates from the Ludogorie (Deliorman) region of Bulgaria, while his father’s roots lie in Gümüşhane, a city in Türkiye’s eastern Black Sea region. Aydın grew up in an environment deeply influenced by his parents’ work as folk dance choreographers and folklorists. Unsurprisingly, young Batuhan took his first steps into music by imitating his father’s traditional Turkish folk drum rhythms used in dance performances.

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At the age of 15, he was admitted to the high school division of Istanbul Technical University’s Turkish Music State Conservatory. There, he encountered the instrument that would become his life’s calling — the kaval. Aydın studied the kaval under Cihan Yurtçu, later continuing his training with Serdar Deli and Haydar Tanrıverdi.

 

From 2010 to 2013, he performed as a kaval player in the Youth Orchestra of the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT).

 

In 2014, he became the youngest instrumentalist ever invited to perform at the "1st International Kaval Conference" in Istanbul, Türkiye.

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Academically, Aydın studied the kaval and traditional Bulgarian folk music with Lyuben Dossev at the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts – "Prof. Asen Diamandiev" in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. He later engaged in academic research in 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.

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In the 2020 academic article "The Kaval and the Symphonic Orchestra", authored by legendary Bulgarian kaval virtuoso Theodosii Spassov — often hailed as the founding figure of modern kaval playing — Batuhan Aydın is recognized as one of the most promising artists entrusted with carrying the instrument’s legacy forward. Aydın is presented as a next-generation voice reshaping the identity of the kaval in both classical and contemporary contexts.

 

In addition to his artistic career, Aydın is active as an academic and scholar, regularly conducting workshops and masterclasses around the world, 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 a wide range of students and professionals across Europe and beyond.

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In addition to his solo career, Aydın is the founding member of KAPIKO, an Istanbul-based ethno/world jazz and fusion ensemble centered around the kaval as the lead instrument. As of 2025, KAPIKO has released two albums — On Bierli (2013) and Nova (2022) — along with two singles: Viensko Horo (2022), featuring legendary Bulgarian drummer Stoyan Yankoulov, and Ethiopian Waltz (2023). The band’s most recent album, Nova, is widely regarded as a milestone of Turkish fusion and ethno/world jazz. It was listed among the best Turkish jazz albums of 2022 by Türkiye's foremost jazz magazine, Cazkolik.

 

In 2022, Aydın released his composition Yana, an intriguing example of oriental electronic fusion, in collaboration with world-famous Bulgarian electronic music producer Ivan Shopov. In Yana, oriental influences merge with a modern electronic idiom, creating a distinctive and immersive listening experience.

 

In 2024, Aydın broke new ground with the Chifte Kaval project — a collaboration with Theodosii Spassov, with whom he shares a deep artistic kinship. This historic project marks the first time that two kaval players from different cultural backgrounds have performed together with a classical orchestra. In Chifte Kaval, Aydın and Spassov narrate the story of the kaval — an instrument that has witnessed centuries of cultural history in Anatolia and the Balkans. It is a story of friendship and shared heritage, brought to life through the masterful performance of two of the world’s leading kaval players. The project premiered to great acclaim on June 5, 2024, at Istanbul’s Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall — Türkiye’s most prestigious concert venue.

 

That same year, Aydın founded the Batuhan Aydın Folk Quartet together with Türkiye-based Austrian pianist and composer Nikolaus Grill, his longtime collaborator from KAPIKO. In this project, Aydın’s contemporary and experimental improvisational concepts converge with Grill’s microtonal harmonic language. Developed over two years of intensive theoretical, stylistic, and ethnomusicological research, the quartet represents one of the most innovative approaches to contemporary Turkish folk-jazz music.

 

Some renowned musicians who have collaborated with Aydın describe him as follows:

 

"Batuhan Aydın is not a musician — he is music itself!"
— Prof. Bernhard Vanecek, Mannheim University of Music and Performing Arts (Germany)

 

"He’s living sunshine on earth."
— Leonhard Paul, Mnozil Brass (Austria)

 

"When Batuhan Aydın enters a room, you just know—he’s the star of the evening."
— Prof. Hristijan Nikolovski, University of Goce Delčev Music Academy (North Macedonia)

 

"He is, by all means, a fantastic musician."
— Prof. Bruno Cândido, Conservatório Regional de Castelo Branco (Portugal)

 

Batuhan Aydın is widely recognized as one of the leading kaval players of his generation and a pioneer of modern kaval playing. Throughout his unique musical journey, he has redefined the role of the kaval in both traditional and contemporary music. Deeply rooted in the folk traditions of Anatolia and the Balkans, yet expansive and experimental in vision, Aydın has elevated the instrument to new heights on the global stage. Through his innovative techniques, profound improvisational voice, and unwavering dedication, he continues to shape the future of this ancient instrument — forging 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, expressive voice for modern music, leaving an indelible mark on the art of kaval playing worldwide.