Shoghaken Folk Ensemble
Encyclopedia
The Shoghaken Folk Ensemble, an Armenian
musical group, performs and records Armenian folk and troubador music
. The ensemble was founded in 1995 in Yerevan
. It has since performed in Armenia, France (including a 2006 performance at the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris), Germany, Estonia, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and the U.S. (including an eighteen-concert 2004 tour and an appearance at the 2002 Folklife Festival as part of the Silk Road project organized by Yo Yo Ma). The music of the Shoghaken Ensemble is featured on the soundtrack of the film Ararat
. In 2008, Shoghaken gave concerts during their second major tour of the US and Canada; the tour coincided with the release of the ensemble’s latest CD, Shoghaken Ensemble: Music From Armenia.
The group includes the singers Hasmik Harutyunyan
and Aleksan Harutyunyan. Its members play traditional Armenian instruments including the duduk
, the zurna
, the dhol
, the kanon
, the kamancha
, and the shvi
.
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
musical group, performs and records Armenian folk and troubador music
Music of Armenia
Armenia is situated close to the Caucasus Mountains, and its music is a mix of indigenous folk music, perhaps best-represented by Djivan Gasparyan's well-known duduk music, as well as light pop, and extensive Christian music, due to Armenia's status as the oldest Christian nation in the...
. The ensemble was founded in 1995 in Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
. It has since performed in Armenia, France (including a 2006 performance at the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris), Germany, Estonia, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and the U.S. (including an eighteen-concert 2004 tour and an appearance at the 2002 Folklife Festival as part of the Silk Road project organized by Yo Yo Ma). The music of the Shoghaken Ensemble is featured on the soundtrack of the film Ararat
Ararat (film)
Ararat is a 2002 film directed, written, and co-produced by Atom Egoyan based loosely on the Siege of Van during the Armenian Genocide, an event that is disputed by the government of Turkey. In addition to exploring the human impact of that specific historical event, the film also examines the...
. In 2008, Shoghaken gave concerts during their second major tour of the US and Canada; the tour coincided with the release of the ensemble’s latest CD, Shoghaken Ensemble: Music From Armenia.
The group includes the singers Hasmik Harutyunyan
Hasmik Harutyunyan
Hasmik Harutyunyan is an Armenian folk singer. She is the leading member of the Shoghaken Folk Ensemble and directs the Hayrik Mouradian Traditional Song and Dance Children's Ensemble....
and Aleksan Harutyunyan. Its members play traditional Armenian instruments including the duduk
Duduk
The duduk , traditionally known since antiquity as a Ծիրանափող is a traditional woodwind instrument indigenous to Armenia. Variations of it are popular in the Middle East and Central Asia...
, the zurna
Zurna
The zurna , is a multinational outdoor wind instrument, usually accompanied by a davul in Anatolian folk music. The name is from Turkish zurna, itself derived from Persian سرنای surnāy, composed of sūr “banquet, feast” and nāy “reed, pipe”...
, the dhol
Dhol
Dhol can refer to any one of a number of similar types of double-headed drum widely used, with regional variations, throughout the Indian subcontinent and nearby regions. Its range of distribution in India and Pakistan primarily includes northern areas such as the Assam Valley, Bengal, Gujarat,...
, the kanon
Kanun (Instrument)
The Qanun is a string instrument found in the 10th century in Farab in Turkestan...
, the kamancha
Kamancheh
The kamānche or kamāncha is a Persian bowed string instrument related to the bowed rebab, the historical ancestor of the kamancheh and also to the bowed lira of the Byzantine Empire, ancestor of the European violin family. The strings are played with a variable-tension bow: the word "kamancheh"...
, and the shvi
Shvi
The shvi which means "whistle" in Armenian, is a fipple flute with a labium mouth piece. Commonly made of wood or bamboo) and up to 12 inches in length, it typically has a range of an octave and a-half...
.
Discography
- 1995: Music of Armenia
- 2002: Armenia Anthology
- 2002: Gorani: Traditional Dances of the Armenian Homeland
- 2004: Traditional Dances of Armenia
- 2004: Armenian Lullabies
- 2008: Shoghaken Ensemble: Music from Armenia