WATERTOWN — The Armenian Museum of America presents a concert, “Hidden Treasure: An Undiscovered Repertoire Celebrating Armenian Survival and Creativity,” on Sunday, October 15, at 2 p.m. The program, featuring accomplished violinist Nuné Melik accompanied by pianist Michel-Alexandre Broekaert, will be held on the 3rd floor of the Armenian Museum in the Adele & Haig Der Manuelian Galleries.
The free concert, co-sponsored by the Composer’s Union of Armenia, is made possible by a grant from the Dadourian Foundation. A reception will follow at the conclusion of the concert.
The “Hidden Treasure” project is an unprecedented initiative in the history of classical music of the Caucasus. Initiated and produced by Melik, it is based on more than seven years of research.
Three trips to Armenia, funded by McGill University and the Canada Council for the Art were undertaken, resulting in the discovery of an impressive array of the rare musical scores and related material. The outstanding contribution made by Melik has been highlighted in media publications such as Strings Magazine, Huffington Post, Armenian Mirror-Spectator and various TV programs internationally. “Hidden Treasure” has been presented in numerous performances to audiences at Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Centre; and broadcast on CBC Radio.
Striving to educate the North American public about the heritage of her country’s music, numerous lectures were given by Melik: Columbia University, New York; Arizona State University, Tucson and Wayne University, Detroit being among them. The program has been selected as part of the national tour of the Jeunesses Musicales Canada, and China tour in 2019.
Though enjoying collaboration with several pianists, Melik formed a duo with a University of Montreal alum, Michel-Alexandre Broekaert, in 2010. Ever since, they have performed over 60 concerts across Canada and the United States. In the upcoming seasons, the ensemble will be performing in more than a dozen cities in Canada and the United States, China and Europe to promote and launch the upcoming Hidden Treasure CD, recorded in collaboration with Yamaha Artist Services New York and McGill University.
