Didem Başar, born into a musical family in Istanbul, is a renowned kanun player, pedagogue and composer. She began her musical training at the age of 11 at the Istanbul State Conservatory of Turkish Music, where she went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in composition. She obtained a master’s degree in musical analysis of Mevlevi music at Marmara University. Başar taught Turkish music and kanun techniques at Istanbul University State Conservatory until her arrival in Canada in 2007.
She has collaborated with numerous ensembles, performing in Canada, the United States, Europe, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Morocco, Lebanon and Egypt. Başar has participated in several albums and soundtracks, notably with Cirque du Soleil and Ensemble Constantinople, and has composed for various projects. She has been invited as a soloist to play with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal under Kent Nagano. She has also composed a double concerto for Turkish kanun and kemençe, performed with I Musici de Montréal and Les Violons du Roy.
In 2020, Başar released his album Levantine Rapsody, which fuses Turkish and Western classical music. The album received critical acclaim and was named Album of the Year by ADISQ and the Conseil québécois de la musique. It won Album of the Year at the 24th Prix Opus in 2021. His most recent album, Continuum, released in June 2024, won two Prix Opus: Best Album and Best Concert of the Year in the World Music category. This project, recorded with I Musici de Montréal, was conducted by Jean-François Rivest in Montreal.