I was born in 1990 in Osmaniye, Turkey, and my earliest memories are filled with the sounds of music that surrounded my childhood. My formal musical journey began in 2004 when I entered Abdurrahman Keskiner Anatolian Fine Arts High School and started studying the bağlama. Those years were transformative for me; while accompanying the Osmaniye Music Association on the oud, I was introduced to the rich world of Classical Turkish Music. It opened a door I knew I wanted to walk through for the rest of my life.
In 2008, I took my first major step by enrolling in the Turkish Music State Conservatory at Gaziantep University. After completing my preparatory year and the first year of my undergraduate studies, I discovered the tanbur—an instrument that would become my primary musical identity. After my second year in Gaziantep, I felt the need to challenge myself further and continue my academic journey in a broader musical environment. This led me to Istanbul Technical University Turkish Music State Conservatory, where I joined the Department of Music Theory in 2011 and graduated in 2015.
My tanbur education began with Hasan Tipi, and along the way I drew profound inspiration from masters such as Abdi Coşkun and Necdet Yaşar. Their artistry and discipline shaped the way I approach both performance and learning. In 2013, I was invited to join the Cemal Reşit Rey Turkish Music Ensemble as a tanbur artist—an honor that marked one of the early milestones of my professional life. Over the years, I have performed on both mızraplı and yaylı tanbur in many television programs and concerts.
My career has taken me to stages around the world. I have had the privilege of performing with ensembles and institutions such as the Kudsi Erguner Ensemble, Brandenburg Orchestra, Istanbul State Theatre, and Istanbul State Opera and Ballet. These collaborations brought me to Australia, Greece, Syria, Morocco, Oman, Azerbaijan, India, Macedonia, Italy, South Korea, Singapore, Belgium, and many other countries. Each tour deepened my understanding of how music connects cultures and people in ways words cannot.
One of the significant academic experiences in my career was my participation in Michael Ellison’s “Beyond East and West” project, sponsored by the University of Bristol, where I introduced and documented the tanbur and yaylı tanbur as a source performer.
In 2018, I released the Esvat Duo – Ney & Tanbur album with my colleague Muhammed Ceylan. Between 2016 and 2019, I had the joy of teaching tanbur at Istanbul Technical University, helping young musicians develop their craft while also enriching my own artistic perspective.
My compositions have also been recognized. In 2019, I received an Achievement Award in the Young Performers Competition organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. In 2020, my Hisarbuselik ilahi “Yine gönlüm perişandır” won third place in the “Voice of Divine Love” competition, and my Hicaz song “Yaz Gecesi” earned second place in the Ministry’s composition contest.
In 2023, I released my project “Segâh Bûselik – Classical Suite and Songs” under Ahenk Music—featuring the makam I developed and artistic direction I personally undertook. From 2019 to 2024, I worked at Istanbul University’s Ottoman Music Research and Application Center (OMAR) as a Project Support Specialist and Vocal Artist.
Today, I continue my musical journey as a Tanbur Artist with the Istanbul State Turkish Music Research and Application Ensemble under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Every stage, every rehearsal, and every composition still reminds me why I chose this path. Music has been my lifelong companion, guiding me from my early days in Osmaniye to concert halls across the world—and I remain devoted to carrying its voice forward.