Varol Saatcıoğlu

Bulgarian Thracian Gajda

Varol Saatcıoğlu was born in Edirne, Turkey, into an extended family of musicians. At the age of five, he was accepted into the Istanbul University State Conservatory, where he studied music theory and piano performance. After emigrating to the United States at age 10, he began attending local folk dance gatherings with his mother. Over time, he found himself captivated by the haunting sound of the gaida (Bulgarian bagpipe). Attempts to teach himself the instrument—much to the dismay of his neighbors—eventually led him to study under Georgi Doichev, former principal soloist with the Filip Kutev Bulgarian National Ensemble. He also worked closely with the late Vassil Bebelekov, a beloved gaida virtuoso and dear friend to many in the folk music community.

Varol spent many years in Washington, DC, where he was a member of Lyuti Chushki and had the honor of performing at venues including the Library of Congress, Embassy of Bulgaria, GWU Lisner Auditorium, and The Birchmere. He also played at countless folk-dance parties, festivals, workshops, and weddings spanning from North Carolina to Canada. In parallel, he offered private gaida lessons to numerous students around the world.

Later, he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he collaborated with local Balkan musicians and taught Bulgarian Ensemble at Lark Camp in 2017. Since 2018, he has been based in the Denver metro area, performing at events such as Boulder Balkan Bash and numerous Bulgarian celebrations with Gaitani.

Having first attended Balkan Camp as a teenager, Varol came full circle when he returned as an instructor in 2022, 2023, and 2024. He is honored to return in 2025 and looks forward to reuniting with his students and colleagues.