Born in Edirne, Türkiye, in 1981, clarinetist And Karabacak began his musical education at the Trakya University State Conservatory and continued his studies at Bilkent University Faculty of Music and Performing Arts, where he completed his undergraduate degree and first Master’s degree. He subsequently studied at the Royal College of Music, London, completing his second Master’s degree between 2007 and 2010. His principal teachers have included Oktay Bagirov, Igor Abramov, Vladimir Zverev, Prof. Janet Hilton and Prof. Timothy Lines of the London Symphony Orchestra.
Karabacak began his professional performing career at an early age, appearing in TRT recital programmes, winning First Prize in the Wind Instruments category of the Ataköy Rotary Club Young Musician of the Year Competition, and giving solo recitals and concerto performances in Türkiye and abroad. His major concerto repertoire includes works by Mozart, Weber, Copland, Finzi, Bozza, Saydam, Taviloğlu and Françaix, performed with orchestras including the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, Başkent Chamber Orchestra, Bursa Regional State Symphony Orchestra, RCM Symphony Orchestra and Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra.
During his studies at Bilkent, Karabacak performed extensively as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral clarinetist with the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra and Bilkent Youth Symphony Orchestra, serving as E-flat, second and principal clarinetist. His activities included performances throughout Türkiye and internationally, including the Eskişehir Music Festival, Anatolian Tour and International Youth Orchestras Music Festival in Murcia, Spain. He also collaborated with distinguished artists including Mischa Maisky and Jean-Philippe Collard.
During his second Master’s degree at the Royal College of Music, Karabacak performed in numerous recitals, chamber music projects and orchestral concerts, won the College’s concerto competition, and appeared in the RCM Symphony Orchestra 125th Anniversary Concert Series. He performed at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music in Glasgow, gave recitals at St James’s Piccadilly and the Turkish Consulate in London, and served as Principal Clarinet in special concerts with the London Symphony Orchestra in 2008 and 2009. His London activities also included performances and recordings of clarinet concertos by Gerald Finzi and Eugène Bozza. He participated in masterclasses with leading clarinetists including Maximiliano Martin, Alessandro Carbonare and Pascal Moragues, and worked closely with Prof. Janet Hilton in masterclass and educational projects.
Following his return to Türkiye, Karabacak continued an active career as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral artist, serving as Section Leader and Principal Clarinet with several ensembles and performing with orchestras including the Antalya State Symphony Orchestra, Bursa Regional State Symphony Orchestra, Balkan Symphony Orchestra, Ahmet Adnan Saygun Camerata, Gürel Foundation Orchestra and Tokay Chamber Philharmonic. His engagements have taken him to major concert venues and festivals in Türkiye and abroad, including İş Sanat, Borusan Music House, AIMA Music Festival and the Macedonian Modern Music Festival. He has also worked with numerous distinguished conductors, including Valery Gergiev, Gürer Aykal, Jacques Mercier, Emil Tabakov, Howard Griffiths, Ari Rasilainen, Martin André, Rengim Gökmen, Israel Yinon, Antonio Pirolli, Karl Anton Rickenbacher, Christian Simonis and Pia Düzgit.
Since 2011, Karabacak has maintained an artistic collaboration with composer and conductor Fırat Yükselir, performing in numerous film, television and contemporary music projects. He has also participated in world-premiere projects, and new clarinet concertos have been dedicated to him by Fırat Yükselir, Assoc. Prof. İlke Karcılıoğlu and Mustafa Kemal Saydam. On 4 December 2025, he gave the world and Turkish premiere of Mustafa Kemal Saydam’s Clarinet Concerto, dedicated to him, with the Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality Symphony Orchestra under Ceyda Ayanoğlu.
Between 2023 and 2026, Karabacak performed extensively as a soloist and recitalist throughout Türkiye, including appearances with the Bursa Regional State Symphony Orchestra, Başkent Chamber Orchestra, Mersin University Academic Chamber Orchestra, Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality Symphony Orchestra, Antalya State Symphony Orchestra and Balkan Symphony Orchestra, as well as chamber music and premiere projects. In 2026, he gave masterclasses and recitals at Uludağ University, performed a premiere recital with pianist Kenan Tatlıcı at CSO ADA Ankara, and appeared with pianist İrakli Tchumburidze in an important recital as part of the Istanbul Philharmonic Society’s concert season.
Alongside his performing career, Karabacak has been an academic at the Mimar Sinan University State Conservatory since 2012, where he teaches Clarinet, Chamber Music and Orchestral Repertoire, while continuing his Doctor of Artistic Proficiency studies. He is the founder of Duo Zeus, established in 2022 with Georgian pianist İrakli Tchumburidze, and maintains an ongoing recital partnership with pianist Kenan Tatlıcı.
From 2026, And Karabacak continues his artistic career with Buffet Crampon Légende B-flat and A clarinets, combining extensive experience as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral artist and educator with a strong commitment to both the established clarinet repertoire and contemporary music.
