Ayla Karacan

Ayla Karacan, who comes from a family of Malatya origin, an important province in Anatolia, was born in Istanbul in 1971. Karacan, who fell in love with bağlama, an instrument she became acquainted with at a young age through family elders, started to study bağlama with the great master Arif Sağ in her early teens.


She completed her undergraduate education at ITU (İstanbul Technical University) Turkish Music State Conservatory between 1988-1993. She then went on to complete her Master’s Degree at the same school and worked there as an educator for many years.


She still continues her her work as an academician at a private university.


She founded a music school under her own name in 1995 which still continues to serve under the name of Ayla Karacan Music Center, and includes a production company and sound recording studio within the same institution, in Istanbul’s Kartal district.


Ayla Karacan has worked as a performer in numerous concert performances as well as national and international music organizations and festivals since the early 90s. Many of her compositions have been performed by artists and included in studio recorded albums.


She distinguishes herself in the field with her performance in folk music, advanced performance techniques in bağlama, and particularly in folk poems.


In addition to her compositions in different musical genres, she has been composing theme music for projects in various visual and performance arts over recent years.