ARLINGTON, Mass. — Poetry and music have been intertwined since time immemorial. In the millennia-old Armenian history, origins of this rich cultural legacy dates to the fifth century CE and beyond. On Saturday, April 6 at 4 p.m., the Armenian Cultural Foundation in cooperation with Amaras Art Alliance and the Armenian Music Festival of Rhode Island will be hosting the Vahan Artsruni (guitar) Duo and Nelly Manukyan (flute). The event is dedicated to the 155th anniversary of Komitas Vardapet, the great Armenian musicologist, composer, arranger and choirmaster.
Born in Yerevan, Vahan Artsruni is a renowned singer and composer known for his innovative approach to music. He is a multifaceted artist known for his contributions to Armenian and Assyrian spiritual music, theater, and cinema. Artsruni explores a wide range of musical styles, from chamber and alt-rock to electronic, symphonic, choir and film/theater compositions. His notable work includes the Komitas: Ten Revelations song cycle based on Komitas’ poetry, arrangements of sacred Assyrian Church of the East music, and reinterpretations of Armenian monophonic hymns by St. Mesrop Mashtots’, a linguist, composer, theologian, statesman and hymnologist best known for inventing the Armenian alphabet (c. 404-406 CE).
Over his nearly four-decade career, Artsruni has released 14 albums and DVDs, composed the soundtrack for 21 documentaries, six animated and three feature films, and provided the music for eight theater productions and as well as a ballet. Additionally, he has been involved in organizing music festivals and concert programs.
His contributions to the world of music are recognized by his inclusion in the Armenian Musical Encyclopedia of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia (2019). His song cycle Komitas: Ten Revelations was even integrated into the State General Education School Program as a part of the Music school textbook in 2007. Furthermore, his album Mashtots’: Sacred Armenian Songs from the fifth century was featured in the collection Mashtots’ by the Center for Christian Education of Holy Echmiadzin and served as the Official Release of the international initiative, Rock Aid Armenia.
Nelly Manukyan, born in Armenia into a musical family, is a flute player, improviser and pianist. The range of her improvisational skill has no boundaries, from all known styles of jazz, Latin jazz, to rock music as well as ethno-jazz projects.
A graduate of the Tchaikovsky Music School with Excellence Diploma in piano and flute studies, Manukyan entered the Yerevan State Conservatory of Music after Komitas, double-majoring in piano and flute, simultaneously serving as a flute teacher in the music school after Konstantin Sarajyan.
