Armenian music to be performed during Art X Detroit Week

PanARMENIAN.Net - Farmington Hills resident Ara Topouzian, who is City of Novi Economic Development Director by day and Kresge Artist Fellow by night, is introducing audiences to Armenian and Middle Eastern music and more during Art X Detroit Week April 10-14.

“Detroit Hye Times”, held at The Wright Museum Contemporary Arts Gallery in Detroit on April 12 features a panel discussion and workshop with Topouzian and two other prominent Armenian musicians: Oud virtuoso Mal Barsamian from Boston, MA, and Northeastern University Professor/clarinetist, Leon Janikian.

They will lead a discussion on the origin of Armenian and Middle Eastern instruments and discuss the history of traditional Armenian music, with the trio performing samples of the music. This will be followed with a presentation by Topouzian on the history of Armenian folk music performed in Metro Detroit starting in the early 20th Century.

“Detroit has been home to over 40,000 Armenians in the metro Detroit area since the turn of the 20th century,” said Topouzian. “I want to show the public the important role Armenian musicians played in the development of the Detroit community. These musicians came from the ‘old country’ and brought with them folk songs and their identity to Detroit. This workshop is a way to honor their work and contributions to Motown.”

The workshop will be followed by a concert of traditional Armenian folk and dance songs featuring all three musicians, as well as Michael Shimmin on percussion. Both the workshop and concert are free.

Topouzian, the 2012 Kresge Artist Fellow, plays the Kanun, a 76-stringed laptop Middle Eastern harp. He has performed as both a solo musician and ensemble musician with Armenian and Middle Eastern artists throughout the country. In 2012, he appeared as a guest soloist with the Virginia Commonwealth University Symphony, performing an original concerto written for the Kanun.