Baturay Yarkin

Mehmet Baturay Yarkın (DMA) – Pianist, Composer, Arranger, Academician

A versatile and accomplished pianist, Dr. Baturay Yarkın has performed on prestigious stages globally, from Aya Irini in İstanbul to renowned festivals and concert halls in Europe, the USA, and beyond. His music transcends genres, blending classical, jazz, tango, and Ottoman/Turkish Folk music.

A versatile and accomplished pianist, Baturay Yarkın has performed on prestigious stages around the world, from Aya Irini in İstanbul to renowned festivals and concert halls across Europe, the USA, and beyond. His music transcends genres, blending classical, jazz, tango, and Ottoman/Turkish folk traditions.

Early Life and Education

Born into a family of musicians, Baturay Yarkın was immersed in music from an early age. He resides in İstanbul, a city rich in cultural and historical heritage. At the age of seven, he won first place in the part-time Classical Piano program at Istanbul University State Conservatory. By twelve, he had earned third place in the European Young Pianists Competition, studying under Prof. Meral Yapalı. His academic journey encompasses classical music, jazz, Argentine tango, Turkish music, and composition, culminating in a doctorate (DMA) from İstanbul University State Conservatory in 2022.

He performed at Aya Irini in 2011 as part of Ara Dinkjian and His Friends. During his high school and university years, he performed with Yarkın Rhythm Group, collaborating with the İstanbul State Symphony Orchestra for the 2013 Turkish–China Year in China.

Jazz

Baturay’s passion for jazz led him to the Rotterdam Conservatory, Codarts, where he studied world & jazz music and collaborated with international musicians. He attended workshops by Chick Corea, Eric Alexander, Barry Harris, and others, and represented Codarts at the Pop and Jazz Platform 2016 in Rotterdam, organized by the European Association of Conservatoires (AEC).

He performed at major festivals such as the Akbank Jazz Festival and İstanbul Jazz Festival, and prestigious venues including Borusan Music House, CRR, İş Sanat, Zorlu PSM, AKM and CSO Ada Ankara. The hands of the artist were molded during the creation process of the sculptures with the slogan of Hands Touching Jazz for the 26th İstanbul Jazz Festival.

The Colours of Anatolia

Through his project The Colours of Anatolia, Baturay combines jazz and Turkish music in collaboration with his sister and the Baturay Yarkın Trio. Sponsored by the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the ensemble performed in 15 universities across Türkiye and at international jazz festivals in Monaco, France, Montenegro, and the Netherlands.

Tango

Tango became a defining feature of his musical identity. He studied Argentine tango at Codarts, attended workshops with Color Tango, Los Reyes del Tango, and Gustavo Beytelmann, and contributed to Şevval Sam’s 2013 Tango album. He performed extensively with OTRA in the Netherlands, and in Türkiye with ensembles such as the Istanbul Classical Orchestra and TangEsta. The latter took part in various cities in Turkey, prestigious 15. tanGO TO Istanbul in Turkey, Grand Night Tango in Almati/Kazakhstan and in Sonido Tango Festival as the first tango orchestra from Turkey which performed in Argentina. He played for ‘A New Year’s Concert from Louis Armstrong to Astor Piazzolla’ conducted by Dr. Nail Yavuzoğlu.