Armenia Music Featured at the Hollywood Bowl
The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and KCRW present Spirit of Armenia! on Sunday, July 29, at the Hollywood Bowl. This performance is part of the Sunday evening performances that comprise the 2007 KCRW World Festival at the Hollywood Bowl. This first-ever night completely dedicated to Armenian music and culture features renowned Armenian artists, and the colorful costumes and dancing that symbolize the spirit Armenian. This evening’s host is Tom Schnabel, KCRW personality and the Philharmonic’s Program Advisor for World Music.
Spirit of Armenia! brings together a large group of distinguished local and international Armenian artists. Acclaimed leaders of modern Armenian pop music, Adiss, Andy, Silva Hakobyan and Sako, make their Hollywood Bowl debuts. Musician and composer Djivan Gasparyan performs Armenian folk music playing the duduk, the traditional woodwind instrument of Armenia. Gasparyan is a master of the duduk, having dedicated over 50 years of his life to studying the instrument. Winds of Passion, comprised of some of the most accomplished duduk players in the world today, performs as a duduk quartet, the first of its kind. Young tenor Hovhannes Shahbazyan sings Armenian traditional folk and gousan music, and classical pianist and composer Vatché Mankerian also performs a specially arranged composition of Armenian folk and classical repertoire. Los Angeles-based ensemble, Element Band, draws inspiration from widespread and multicultural sources, resulting in a unique Armenian “folk-fusion” sound. In the second half, conductor Roma Kanyan leads a special band created for this Spirit of Armenia! program.
Zvartnots Dance Ensemble and Vartan & Siranoush Gevorkian Dance Ensemble, dressed in rich, colorful costumes, perform high-energy choreography to both traditional and contemporary Armenian music.
Other 2007 KCRW World Festival performances include Reggae Night VI with Burning Spear, Sly & Robbie and The Taxi Gang with Horace Andy and Cherine Anderson on Aug. 12; Macy Gray, Zap Mama, and the Brazilian Girls on Aug. 26; and Underworld on Sept. 9.
The Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave. in Hollywood.
Tickets range from $7 to $95 and are on sale now at the Hollywood Bowl Box Office or by calling Ticketmaster at (213) 480-3232, at all Ticketmaster outlets or online at HollywoodBowl.com. For general information or to request a brochure, call (323) 850-2000.