Samir Kurtov was born in 1971 in Kavrakirovo, a village near Petrich in the Pirin region of southwestern Bulgaria. The son of Demtchuk Kurtov, a descendant of a Roma family of zurna players (zurnadji in Turkish, zurnadjia in Bulgarian), Samir Kurtov is considered one of the greatest zurnadjis in the Balkans.

Inspired by the clarinet playing as it has been practiced in Bulgaria for the last 40 years, he has evolved the zurna technique into a very virtuoso style by developing its range, adding chromaticisms and new modulations. His musical knowledge is very extensive. While holding the repertoire of his region of origin that he has practiced since childhood, Samir has for several decades been called upon to play for wrestling competitions in the Serres region of Greek Macedonia, for weddings in North Macedonia and for festivals in Turkey. He therefore learned the repertoire of these other countries in order to be able to work there.

Photo credit: Eric Legret