Music @ The Wallis is generously made possible by Terri and Jerry Kohl
John Hodian, COMPOSER & PIANO
Hasmik Baghdasaryan, SOPRANO
Tatevik Movsesyan, SOPRANO
Shahane Zalyan, ALTO
Tigran Hovhannisyan, DHOL
Aram Nikoghosyan, OUD
Andranik Gasparyan, DUDUK
The Naghash Ensemble brings together the earthy spirituality of Armenian folk song, contemporary classical music, and post-minimalism with the driving energy of rock and jazz. Named after the medieval Armenian mystic poet and priest Mkrtich Naghash, the ensemble reimagines his sacred texts in a strikingly modern musical language. Three extraordinary female vocalists join Armenia’s finest instrumentalists on duduk, oud, dhol, and piano to create a sound described that is at once ancient and urgent – “part folk music, part classical, and profoundly moving. Unmistakably Armenian, but out of this world.” Written by Armenian-American composer John Hodian, Songs of Exile is a profound meditation on humanity’s relationship to the divine, told through the voice of a monk cast into a long separation from his homeland.
Experience music that bridges centuries with startling immediacy and spiritual force.