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One of Armenia’s leading folk singers, Hasmik Harutyunyan
is world-renowned for her work with Yerevan’s Shoghaken
Ensemble and for her mellifluous renditions of Armenian lullabies,
one of the most ancient and evocative genres in Armenian music.
Her quietly passionate interpretations of lullabies from historical
villages across the Armenian plateau offer a mesmerizing glimpse
at a lost world. She draws strength and inspiration from her
ancestors in the province of Mush in Historic Armenia, especially
her grandmother, Mafo (pictured on reverse), who sang to her
as a child. In addition to songs sung by her family, Hasmik
learned many of the lullabies in her repertoire from old women
who had emigrated from Anatolia to eastern Armenia before
or during the Armenian massacres of 1915, as well as from
their descendants and old song collections. Hasmik Harutyunyan’s
CD, Armenian Lullabies (Traditional Crossroads),
was praised in a New York Times review as “The best
Armenian recording worldwide.”
Joining Hasmik Harutyunyan will be the women’s vocal
ensemble Kitka. Kitka, meaning “bouquet” in Bulgarian
and Macedonian, is now celebrating its 30th Anniversary Season.
Kitka began as a grassroots group of singers from diverse
ethnic and musical backgrounds who shared a passion for the
stunning dissonances, asymmetric rhythms, intricate ornamentation,
lush harmonies, and resonant strength of Balkan, Slavic, and
Caucasian women’s vocal traditions. The group has since
evolved into a professional touring ensemble, earning international
recognition for its artistry, versatility, and fresh approach
to folk music.
500 De Haro St.
8 PM
650 Spruce St.
4 PM: Armenian Folk Songs and Dances Workshop
8 PM: Concert
Co-Sponsored by the CSUF Armenian Studies and Music Departments
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Hasmik Harutyunyan
from Yerevan's Shoghaken Ensemble
Kitka Women's Vocal Ensemble
Photo: Sarah Small
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