Özcan Ates

Ozcan Ates is a rare master on the bağlama, a kind of long-necked lute. His musical journey started at an early age in Turkey, and he has since settled in Bristol, playing with the Dovetail Orchestra, performing across the UK, and teaching. He performs traditional Turkish and Kurdish folk songs, Anatolian melodies, as well as his own compositions.

He says: “I don’t know when I started making music. The radio was always on at home, and I grew up with traditional melodies. Every tune on the radio told a different story; the cheerful ones never really touched me. Because when awareness and empathy become active in a person’s soul, a certain sadness becomes inevitable. Maybe that’s where it all started for me. I always carried melancholic melodies in my bag. I shaped myself by singing the same folk songs over and over again. I found my own tone, and I felt that I could say, “I exist in music.” When I was around ten, I became eager to play the bağlama. But over time, I realized it wasn’t just enthusiasm— because I’m still playing.”