burak@elhanensemble.com

Burak Kaynarca was born in Ankara, Turkey in 1978. He began his studies of Turkish music when he was 9 years old with Emin Sefa Sağbaş, artist with the Turkish Republic Ministry of Culture. He has studied musicological and theoretical topics with Dr. Timuçin Çevikoğlu. He graduated from Selçuk University State Conservatory in 2001, and earned his master’s degree from the Music Department of Afyon Kocatepe University’s Social Sciences Institute in 2005. 

He is currently an instructor at Afyon Kocatepe University State Conservatory, where he has been teaching oud performance, Turkish music theory and analysis, and directing ensembles since 2001.

Since 2000, Kaynarca has represented the Republic of Turkey as a government official with performances in the U.S.A., England, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Russia, China, South Korea, Morocco, Amman, Algeria, Egypt and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Since 2007 he has been interested in sound recording technologies and has recorded nearly 20 albums in his home studio. These albums were released under both municipality and private firm labels.

Kaynarca was one of the fourteen finalists in performance for The Aga Khan Music Award in its inaugural cycle of 2018-2019.

2019      

Aga Khan Music Awards - Finalist

2016      

Directed and performed oud in an album project featuring the 

complete works of Tanbûrî Cemîl Bey in commemoration of the centennial of his death.

2013      

       Performed in the 18th Rabat International Music Festival in Morocco.

      Assistant artistic director of the International Mystic Music Festival, Konya.

2010  

Gave a recital at the 1st International Yorgo Bacanos Oud Festival, in Istanbul.

           Founded the Elhân Ensemble; directed and performed oud in the album, “ELHÂN
- Saklı Nağmeler / Rekindled Melodies” (Kalan Music, 2012).

2003

      Served as chair of the Department of Classical Turkish Music in Afyon Kocatepe
University State Conservatory; later worked there as an assistant manager between
2004 and 2007.

 2001  

Graduated from Selçuk University State Conservatory and began work as an oud instructor at Afyon Kocatepe University State Conservatory that same year.

         Performed oud in the album, “Sufi Music from Turkey,” released and distributed to 72 countries by ARC Music Company, England.

Performed in the album “Dede Efendi,” released by the Ministry of Culture; took
part in broadcasts of Turkish Radio and Television and various private channels.

Directed various concerts at Afyon Kocatepe University.

1999

      After succeeding in the auditions of the Ministry of Culture’s State Classical Turkish Music Choir, he served there as a DÖSİM staff in Ankara.

   1997     

 Artistic director of the Turkish Art Music Choir of the Directorate of Culture under the Governorship of Konya. Organized a music broadcast series “Gelenekle
Geleceğe” (“To the Future With Tradition”) for Selçuk University’s Faculty
Communications in Radio and Television.