Yulia Musayelyan - Flutist, Composer

YULIA MUSAYELYAN QUARTET

The Quartet performs a combination of original compositions and arrangements, using folk rhythms from Argentina, Armenia, and other cultures. The group members’ diverse heritage allows for a constant evolution of styles and generates new sounds from the combination of origincal melodies, jazz imprivization, extended techniques, and group interaction.

The next show of the Quartet will be on Thursday, August 7th, 2008, at 8pm at the Vernissage Restaurant in Brookline, MA. The quartet features myself on flutes, Vardan Ovsepian, piano; Fernando Huergo, bass; and Franco Pinna, drums.

We hope to see you there!

ARMENIA PROJECT ENSEMBLE

The Armenia Project idea evolved from the exploration of my Armenian heritage. I began learning the language and investigating traditional music and instruments. When I first heard the sound of Armenian folk music, I found to my surprise that this spirit was also coming from within; I began to transcribe folk tunes and playing them on the flute, trying to imitate its rich variety of colors, ranging from a tiny bird to a human cry. The Armenian Project Ensemble was first conceived with the purpose to examine and perform Armenian Traditional music on western classical instruments, mimicking the folk timbres in order to convey a most-accurate representation of the original sound. The instrumentation included flute, alto flute, piccolo, and clarinet, from the wind family, as well as piano, cajon, oceandrum, and guitar colors. Drawing on my classical and jazz backgrounds, I then expanded my arrangements to include improvisatory sections and allow for a new combination genre which integrates the Armenian folk elements into a truly international music. The inspiration for the ensemble’s musical journey came from the highly spiritual sound of Armenian folklore. While deeply rooted in traditional playing, the ensemble’s original arrangements venture into other styles and influences.

Audio samples of the ensemble are in the 'listen' section; below are program notes for the 2 selections:

1. Erzerum Dances represent a rich tradition of intricate group dances in Erzerum, one of the oldest towns in Western Armenia (now Eastern Turkey). Originally the melody is performed on a solo duduk, a double reed apricot flute famous for its velvety melancholy sound. There is also a second "dam" duduk, which holds a drone note. The frame drum used to accompany this dance is called a d'hol. In this arrangement, the alto flute and clarinet take turns playing the solo duduk and dam-duduk. The d'hol sound is played on ocean drum and cajon. The piano provides a harmonic basis for the composition, and expands on the traditional timbres by mimicking the ud, a short-necked fretless lute. The dances are arranged in two sections: a slower 6/8 meditation followed by an upbeat dance featuring alternating sections in 9/8 and 5/8, characteristic to the region of Erzerum.

2. Shiraki Bar is a fast and festive mixed group wedding dance from the Shirak region (now Eastern Turkey). This bird-song tune in 6/8 is originally played on a small shvi, a high pitched bamboo or bone flute which plays a distinctly-tuned scale, involving microtones. The piccolo, while an 'equally tuned' instrument chromatically, can mimic the intonation and inflections of the shvi. The oceandrum provides the rhythmic 6/8 pulse, outlining the irregular form (with 7 and 8 bar phrases). The combination of the piccolo phrasing, driving beat, and piano's harmonic expansion on the dam-duduk tones paves the way for a mixed-style collective improvisation.

Please check back often for upcoming performances of this project ensemble. Thank you.

Yulia Musayelyan