UCLA Armenian Music Program Overview: Highlights from the Previous Year
UCLA's Armenian Music Program Thrives Amid Challenges in 2020-2021
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is set to offer an engaging and enriching Armenian Music Program in the 2020-2021 academic year. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the program is poised to deliver four captivating courses.
These courses include: 1. Introduction to Armenian Music 2. Armenian Music Ensemble 3. Music and Intersectionality in the Mediterranean 4. Masters and Masterpieces of Armenian Classical Music
Notably, renowned jazz pianist Tigran Hamasyan is expected to conduct workshops on improvisation during the winter and spring quarters. Hamasyan is also set to release his new album, The Call Within, in August.
The Armenian Music Program experienced remarkable achievements and milestones during the previous academic year, despite the pandemic. One such achievement was the critical acclaim received by Modulation Necklace, a CD of Armenian Music.
Instructors for the courses include Karenn Presti, Melissa Bilal (guest lecturer from the American University of Armenia), Armen Adamian, and Movses Pogossian. Adamian, the instructor of the Armenian Music Ensemble, created a tutorial for the folk dance Gyovnd to facilitate social distancing.
The Armenian Music Ensemble, inaugurated in the Winter Quarter, offered students the opportunity to learn traditional Armenian songs, dances, and instruments. During the Spring quarter, VEM members expanded their repertoire by learning solo works by contemporary Armenian composers.
The VEM Quartet, a key component of the program, began exploring Armenian classical music and performed outreach for UCLA and local Armenian high school students. They also collaborated on a virtual performance of Komitas' Kaqavik for the "Gems of Armenian Music" Fiat Lux class.
The Armenian Music Program's activities have been supported by its community partners and supporters. In the future, the program plans to record a second CD highlighting the works of contemporary Armenian composers, a "sequel" to Modulation Necklace.
The program hopes to return to live performances and continues to anticipate the VEM Ensemble's busy outreach program, culminating with a return to Armenia in June 2021. For up-to-date or archived details for the 2020-2021 academic year, it is recommended to check UCLA’s Ethnomusicology Department or Armenian Studies Program pages or contact their academic office for official schedules and event listings from 2020-2021.
Additionally, Danielle Segen, Mezzo-soprano, and Victoria Simonyan of the Lark Musical Society created video recordings of Armenian songs, including "Oror", "Manushakin", and "Horzham". These recordings are sure to captivate audiences and further enrich the Armenian music landscape.
- To supplement the UCLA Armenian Music Program's offerings, Danielle Segen, Mezzo-soprano, and Victoria Simonyan of the Lark Musical Society have created captivating video recordings of various Armenian songs, including "Oror", "Manushakin", and "Horzham", contributing to the growing landscape of Armenian music learning online.
- In the realm of entertainment and self-development, an exciting aspect of the 2020-2021 UCLA Armenian Music Program is the collaboration between renowned jazz pianist Tigran Hamasyan and the program, with Hamasyan conducting workshops on improvisation and his new album, The Call Within, set to be released in August, broadening students' understanding of music and improvisation within the online-education context.
