Göksel Baktagir was born in 1966 in Kırklareli. His father, Muzaffer Baktagir, was a shoemaker who could play many musical instruments, and his mother was a homemaker. Being born into a musical family introduced him to music at an early age.

Beginning of Musical Education

Under his father’s guidance, the artist began playing the mandolin at age seven, the bağlama at age ten, and the kanun at age fourteen. Baktagir identifies his father as his greatest musical influence and credits him for introducing him to classical Turkish musical instruments.

Academic Education and Professional Career Start

In 1983, Baktagir enrolled at the İstanbul Technical University State Conservatory of Turkish Music and graduated in 1988, shortly thereafter continuing his postgraduate studies. That same year, he was appointed as a kanun artist with the Culture Ministry Istanbul State Turkish Music Ensemble under the direction of Tanbûri Necdet Yaşar, marking the beginning of his professional music career. He performed concerts with the Necdet Yaşar Ensemble in countries including England, France, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Canada, and the United States.

Göksel Baktagir (AA)

Compositional Works and Awards

Baktagir began composing during his conservatory years and has created hundreds of works in both vocal and instrumental genres. Many of his compositions have been included in the repertoire of the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT). His awards include:

• 1990 – TRT Competition: Award for the Sazım zâvil saz semai
• 1997 – Milliyet Newspaper Survey: The song Tek Kelime by Muhayyerkürdi ranked among the ten most beloved songs of the year
• 2000 – Turkish Writers Union: Award for the album Doğu Rüzgârı
• 2004 – European Union Foundation: Musician of the Year Award
• 2013 – Itrî Music Awards: Composer of the Year Award
• 2017 – Presidency Culture and Arts Grand Awards: Award in the field of music

Technical and Artistic Contributions to Kanun Performance

Since 1984, Baktagir has conducted original research on left-hand technique in kanun performance, extending the instrument beyond the boundaries of traditional Turkish music. He has developed applications in genres such as New Age and jazz and collaborated with various Western jazz ensembles. Describing the kanun as “the piano of Turkish music,” the artist has designed a project to promote the widespread use of the kanun in music classrooms to introduce modal music to elementary school students.

International Concerts and Events

In addition to his role with the State Turkish Music Ensemble, Baktagir performed concerts with the İstanbul Sazendeleri group, founded in 1998/1999, in countries including England, France, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Macedonia, Malta, the United States, Canada, Argentina, Malaysia, India, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and Japan. He was a member of Mercan Dede’s Secret Tribe ensemble and performed as a soloist with the Tekfen Philharmonic Orchestra at Türkiye and in Japan. In 2016, six of his compositions were arranged as a symphonic suite and performed by an orchestra in Istanbul and Ankara.

Baktagir has conducted advanced kanun workshops in Türkiye, Iran, Tunisia, Algeria, Germany, France, and Palestine and given concerts with diverse ensembles in Tunisia, Kuwait, Germany, France, Palestine, and Algeria. In 2016, jazz vocalist Lena Chamamyan released the album Lawnan-Two Colours, featuring Baktagir’s compositions; the two performed together at the 2017 Carthage and Hammamet festivals in Tunisia. That same year, he conducted workshops and concerts at the East Jerusalem Edward Said Conservatory and the Paris Edgar Varèse Conservatory.

Film and Documentary Music

He composed the music for the documentary “İstiklal Marşı” produced by CNN Türk. His composition “Azeri,” arranged and performed with Yurdal Tokcan, was included in the soundtrack of Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ.

Academic Positions and Research

He has served as a faculty member at the State Conservatory of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University and the Haliç University Conservatory. Two notation books featuring his compositions have been published, and he has developed a miniature pedagogical method to facilitate kanun instruction for children.

His compositions in the sirto and longa forms have become subjects of music education and academic research. In a 2024 academic study, his sirto and longa works were analyzed in terms of makam, seyir, and technical characteristics.

Göksel Baktagir (AA)

Workshops and Cultural Activities

Together with his wife Füsun Baktagir, he has organized kanun workshops. Before the pandemic, he conducted activities for 16 years on the Greek island of Crete and later provided training in Istanbul for international participants.

Meetings with Fine Arts High Schools

As part of the Ministry of National Education’s Project for Introducing and Supporting Turkish Music-2, he met with students and teachers from fine arts high schools in all 81 provinces of Türkiye. During these gatherings, he presented concerts featuring his compositions and conducted work on music education.

Multilingual Project: “Yalnız Sen”

The melody “Yalnız Sen,” originally composed instrumentally by Baktagir in 1998 and later given Turkish lyrics, has generated wide resonance over the years and has been performed by musicians from diverse cultures. In this context, Istanbul-based Armenian singer Sibil rendered the melody in Armenian as “Miayn Tun” (Yalnız Sen).

Albums

His albums include Okyanustaki Sesler (series 1-2-3), Günlük, Doğu Rüzgârı (series 1-2), Sezgiyle Seslenişler, Sirtolar ve Longalar, Hayal Gibi (series 1-2-3), Duygu Pınarı, Furtuna, Kalb-i Coşku, Gönül Bağı, Aşk Senfonisi, Gurbet Türküsü, Geleceğin Şarkıları, Sevda (2018 single), Gecenin Nuru (2018 single), Geleceğin Şarkıları-2 (Sebebi Vardır) (2022 album), and Yunus&Aşk (Yunus Emre Oratoryosu) (2022 album).

Personal Life

The artist is married to Füsun Baktagir and is the father of two children, Buğra Can and Cansu.