İbrahim Batın Özkayoğlu

He was born in 1998 in the Kestel district of Bursa. He completed his primary and secondary education there. In 2016, he was admitted to the Department of Turkish Music at the State Conservatory of Bursa Uludağ University, where he began his formal music education. During his conservatory years, he studied traditional Turkish percussion instruments under Prof. Ersen Varlı, and classical Western percussion with Mert Kocaili (percussion artist with the Bursa Regional State Symphony Orchestra) and Lecturer İrem Dekeli Akyüz. He also received training in classical Turkish music repertoire from Assoc. Prof. Güniz Alkaç and folk music repertoire from Prof. Dr. Özlem Doğuş Varlı. In addition to these, he gained extensive musical knowledge and experience from numerous esteemed instructors throughout his conservatory education. He successfully completed his undergraduate studies in 2021. In the same year, he also completed a pedagogical formation program, gaining professional qualifications in music education. Since then, he has been teaching rhythm to individuals and groups across various age levels. In addition to Turkish and Sufi music, he has also explored percussion instruments from popular and world music traditions, placing emphasis on expanding his musical expression across different genres. He performed as a guest artist in concerts with the Bursa Classical Turkish Music Choir and the Bursa Regional State Symphony Orchestra. He also participated in numerous concerts and Mevlevi mukabele (whirling ceremonies), particularly at the Bursa Mevlevihane, with the Bursa Turkish Music Ensemble under the artistic direction of Assoc. Prof. Zinnur Kanık. In 2024, he successfully passed the examination held by the General Directorate of Fine Arts of the Republic of Türkiye’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism and joined the Istanbul Sufi Ceremonies Ensemble as a percussion artist.