composer & guitarist
Serkan Yılmaz
Composer, guitarist (6, 7 and 10 string-guitar) of Turkish origin and currently living in
Buenos Aires, Argentina; Serkan’s compositions take elements of jazz, classical, ethnic, contemporary, Latin American and
Turkish music. His songs create a very personal and remarkable genre that leaves behind the conventional use and sounds of
the guitar to give birth to an unconventional work. Likewise, he is a great practitioner of the art of improvisation.
Serkan participated in various international music festivals held in his native country in the cities of Istanbul, Ankara,
Adana and Ordu. In 2004 he travelled to Argentina to play at the "Festival de Guitarras del Mundo”. Falling immediately for
Argentina’s capital he decided to stay and settle.
Thus, Serkan started a prolific career in Latin America. He played in almost all major cities of Argentina as well in
Brazil and Chile, where he performed in Sao Paulo, Curitiba, and Rio de Janeiro and in Chile, Valparaiso, Viña del Mar and Santiago. In Argentina he was invited consecutively to numerous editions of the "Festival de Guitarras del Mundo”. Likewise, he was
invited to two editions of the prestigious Buenos Aires Jazz International Fest (2013 and 2015).
In 2015 Serkan toured Japan with Japanese quena flute player Hikaru Iwakawa. The duo played in the cities of Tokyo,
Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya, Gifu, Hirosaki, Yamagata, Okayama, Konosu, and Chigasaki. Afterwards, he toured Turkey as a soloist playing in
the cities of Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Adana, and Antalya.
Serkan released three record works in Argentina and one in Japan: "Paisajes de infancia" (2008), "Descalzo" (2010) and
"Mago" (with Bosphorus duo - 2013) and Amalgama (with Hikaru Iwakawa - Label: Luces de Madrugada -Japan -2015) with the works
of authorship.
PROJECTS
• In addition to his work as a solo artist, he is also part of "Bosphorus dúo", in which he plays the 10-string guitar and
composes all the music.
• It also forms the duo "Serkan Yılmaz & Hikaru Iwakawa" with Japanese quenista Iwakawa Hikaru. The duo plays the original
compositions of the two musicians.
Serkan currently lives in Buenos Aires, where he plays his music in concerts all around the country, and gives guitar
and composition lessons to several musicians.