Chookasian: Armenia’s National Gold Medal Award Recipients
A program of traditional songs and dances of Eastern & Western Armenia performed on native folk instruments of Armenia
Saturday, September 29 ~ 8pm at The Egg / Sawyer Theater, 1 Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY
Master of Ceremonies: Mayor Harry J. Tutunjian, City of Troy
Tickets are $22 each and can be obtained by contacting the Box Office at (518) 473-1845.
The Mayor of the City of Troy, Harry J. Tutunjian, will host the Chookasian Armenian Concert Ensemble program at “The Egg” in Albany, NY.
Mayor Tutunjian is lending his full support to assist in spreading the news about traditional Armenian music and culture by accepting to be the “Master of Ceremonies†at the famous Egg Center for the Performing Arts in Albany for this auspicious Armenian cultural concert event.
The international award-winning Chookasian Armenian Concert Ensemble will be making several rare and highly anticipated appearances on the East Coast from in September and October. These unique and cultural concerts are a “must-see” for all music lovers.
This acclaimed group is comprised of the finest conservatory musicians from Armenia and the United States. A number of select East Coast cities, including Albany, will have the rare opportunity of hearing these modern day minstrels perform on ancient traditional instruments that have been used for centuries in Armenian music.
Over the past thirteen years, the Chookasian Armenian Concert Ensemble has received numerous honors and awards including the prestigious national “Gold Medal Award†of Armenia from Armenian President, Mr. Robert Kocharian, after the completion of a one month concert tour of the Armenian cities in Yerevan’s Philharmonic Hall to an audience of 3,000+ people.
Their latest CD “Passage to Armenia†won first place as the “Best Traditional World Music Album†in the “Independent Music Awards†of 2006, from thousands of submissions from around the world. Also, their “Passage to Armenia†CD album, its photo of the album, and IMA Award was placed in the centerfold of The Musicians Atlas of 2006.
At Californian State University, PBS station, KVPT Fresno Channel 18, came and filmed the traditional Armenian concert program for over two hours. Each time PBS broadcasted the concert, over two million people had access to view it.
The Ensemble’s roster of musicians and instrumentation features: Fresnan, John Chookasian, Director and premier clarinetist; Barbara Chookasian, principal vocalist; Vergine Alimian, ‘Kanun’ (72 stringed lap harp); Valod Grigorian, ‘Kemenche’ (4 stringed folk violin); Andranik Mouradian, ‘Keyboards’; Garen Sarkissian, ‘Shvi’ (high pitched, piccolo-like flute); John Tarpinian, ‘Oud’ (11 stringed fretless lute); Albert Vardanian, ‘Duduk’ & ‘Zurna’ (Armenian folk flutes); and Jirair Vaganian, ‘D’hol’ & ‘Dumbeg’ (hand drums).
If you love world music and are interested in ancient musical treasures, rare ethnic songs, and the instruments of the ‘Silk Road,’ don’t miss this experience!! The general public is cordially invited to hear this extraordinary musical event.