Biography for Muharrem Aslan

Muharrem Aslan was born on January 15, 1977 in Southern Turkiye (Kahramanmaras province), in a village called Ozcanli (which is situated in Elbistan, a district rich in history). His interest in playing the baglama and singing developed at a very young age. He grew up in an Alevi spiritual music culture (deyis) where spiritual leaders (Alevi dedes) are very prominent. The feelings, ideas, and beliefs of Alevi culture are expressed through songs with the accompaniment of the baglama. This early exposure to music and tradition greatly influenced his subsequent journey into the arts. This is the main inspiration of the first phase of his musical journey.

In 1995, after completing primary and high school education in Elbistan, he moved to Istanbul to study GeodeticEngineering at Yildiz Technical University. During this time, he also attended music courses to expand and perfect his technique and his knowledge of theory at the Fine Arts Department of the University—vocal training, harmony, and composition. At the same time, he began performing professionally in Istanbul with a variety of musicians and bands.

The second phase of his musical journey began in 2001. In that year he immigrated to Sydney, Australia. In Australia, he was fortunate enough to collaborate with many musicians. This experience broadened and enriched his knowledge of Western musical genres. In 2016, he graduated from the Nirimba TAFE with Diploma of Music Industry (performance) and in 2021, he graduated from The University of New South Wales with a Bachelor of Music (Honours, Class 1A). For his final thesis, he composed a suite for solo baglama called ‘New Compositions for the Anatolian Baglama: Five Songs Without Words’. This work incorporates a number of new playing techniques for the baglama, one of which he calls fourtemolo. At this time he also successfully created a new rasgueado technique for the baglama.