Altin Sencalar began his studies at Texas State University, studying with Freddie Mendoza. While attending TSU, he gained entrance into the thriving Austin music scene and began emerging as a new talent. Altin soon moved to Austin, and attended the University of Texas at Austin’s Butler School of Music, where he studied under the tutelage of Andre Hayward. He became a fixture in the local music scene after being named a “2017 Top 10 Austin Music Awards Horn Player” and recording his debut album, Introducing Altin Sencalar.
After completing his bachelor’s degree from UT, he was given the opportunity to travel as a soloist with the University of Texas Jazz Orchestra to the Montreux Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, and Luxembourg Gardens in Paris, France. Altin then attended Michigan State University as the Graduate Assistant to Michael Dease and Rodney Whitaker, where he pursued his Master of Music degree in Jazz Studies. While at MSU, Altin co-founded the Sencalar/Glassman Quintet with fellow trombonist Chris Glassman and they released two co-led albums. His sophomore album, released in 2021, is titled Reconnected and explores his Mexican/Turkish/Texan roots. He followed this up with In Good Standing (Posi-Tone, 2023) which found Altin with some New York City heavyweight musicians. His latest are Discover The Present (Posi-Tone, 2024) and Unleashed (Posi-Tone, 2025), and continues to represent his experiences and show his growth as a composer, musician and band leader.
Altin has gained international and national recognition through numerous competitions and awards. Such honors have come from Yamaha, The American Trombone Workshop Jazz Competition solo divisions, International Trombone Association’s Jazz Solo – Carl Fontana Competition and J.J. Johnson Competition, the Kai Winding Trombone Ensemble Competition, Texas State Trombone Symposium Michael Rath Jazz Solo Competition, Downbeat Student Music Awards, and the International Tuba-Euphonium Association Rich Matteson Jazz Euphonium Competition, among others.
As an active performer, Altin has shared the stage, toured, and/or recorded with DeeDee Bridgewater, Rodney Whitaker, Christian McBride, Michael Bublé, Dafnis Prieto, Ulysses Owens Jr., The Temptations, The Four Tops, Martha Reeves, The Velvalletes, Ne-Yo, Big Sean, and many others. He has also recorded for several motion pictures including Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, My Little Pony: The Movie (2017), and others independent films.
Altin holds a Bachelor of Music degree (Music Performance) from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Music degree (Music Performance in Jazz Studies) from Michigan State University. He has held teaching positions at Michigan State University, Brevard Jazz Institute, the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts Summer Jazz Intensive, Jazz & Creative Institute, Central Texas College, and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. Altin exclusively performs on Yamaha Trombones and Euphoniums and is a Yamaha Performing Artist. He is also a Posi-Tone Recording Artist, Picket Blackburn Trumpets & Brass Trombone Brand Ambassador, and is a performing artist for Earasers Earplugs & InEarz Audio, Robinson’s Remedies, and AEA Ribbons Microphones & Pre-Amps. Altin lives in New York City with his wife, Marina and dogs Navy & JJ.
