About Serafim Zlatev

Serafim Zlatev is a handpan player, composer and educator originally from Sofia, Bulgaria. His musical journey began not in a classroom, but on the streets — busking and performing as a teenager in the heart of Sofia.

At just 16 years old, he was invited to perform at Udaya Live & Music Festival (U-D-A-Y-A), hosted at the RIU Pravets Resort Hotel & Spa — a turning point that introduced him to the world of yoga, retreats and wellbeing festivals.

Serafim has now been playing the handpan for seven years, following three years on the steel tongue drum. His style developed intuitively — learning piano, percussion and voice by ear before later refining his technique through formal training.

He moved to London in 2019 to pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of East London, graduating in 2022. During this time, he trained with an opera coach, sang in gospel choirs across the UK, and toured France with a Bulgarian choir in his teenage years.

In London, he co-founded The Handpan Gentlemen with James Crossley. Together they perform at festivals, weddings, corporate events and private ceremonies across the UK, and have been teaching together for nearly two years.

Alongside live performance, Serafim composes meditation music and atmospheric handpan pieces, publishes music on YouTube, and has created promotional music work for venues including Six Senses London. He has scored multiple short films and continues to explore opportunities within the film industry, supported by his experience working in Soho as a projectionist at Soho Screening Rooms.

Outside the wellbeing world, Serafim is also the frontman of the progressive metal band DFTP (Don’t Feed the Pigeons) — a project that allows him to explore complex rhythm, harmony and musical intensity.

His style is influenced by artists such as Malte Marten, Cabassau, Manu Delago, and Laurent Soro. He combines meditative melodies with distinct rhythmic patterns, often pushing the handpan into progressive and jazz-influenced territories — while maintaining a gentle approach for yoga and wellbeing communities.

Through Cambridge Handpan School, Serafim offers structured yet intuitive lessons — helping students develop rhythm, musicality and confidence while keeping the instrument’s calming essence at the centre of the experience.