Slideshow: Celebrating the Music of Tigran Hamasyan
Acclaimed Armenian jazz pianist and multigenre composer Tigran Hamasyan performs his original music in a Signature Series at Berklee concert featuring students from various Berklee ensembles.
Image by Kelly Davidson
Karam introduces the concert, lauding the students for their efforts and energy, and honoring Hamasyan for sharing the stage with the students.
Image by Kelly Davidson
Student Sarthak Mudgal passionately performs traditional percussion and a pioneering form of guitar percussion influenced by combining elements of the tabla and the guitar.
Image by Kelly Davidson
Student Guy Bernfeld gives a spirited performance on bass.
Image by Kelly Davidson
Student Panagiotis Aivazidis plays the qanun, a traditional Middle Eastern string instrument.
Image by Kelly Davidson
Vasileios Kostas, who is completing his Master of Music degree in contemporary performance (global jazz concentration), plays the laouto during the concert.
Image by Kelly Davidson
Student Yoel Genin plays the guitar with excitement and energy.
Image by Kelly Davidson
Students in the Pletenitsa Balkan Choir sing vocal arrangements on various pieces throughout the show.
Image by Kelly Davidson
Students from the Berklee World Strings play on various pieces under the direction of Eugene Friesen, professor in the String Department.
Image by Kelly Davidson
Hamasyan stands to receive applause after performing his solo piano piece "An Ancient Observer."
Image by Kelly Davidson
On March 8, the ninth annual Berklee Middle Eastern Festival celebrated the music of Armenian jazz pianist and multigenre composer Tigran Hamasyan in a concert that featured him performing with students at the Berklee Performance Center. Produced and directed by Christiane Karam, associate professor in the Voice Department, the show was a combined effort that brought together the Berklee Middle Eastern Fusion Ensemble, the Pletenitsa Balkan Choir, and the Berklee World Strings.
The Signature Series at Berklee concert featured Hamasyan’s original compositions, with the first half showcasing his distinctive jazz-rock pieces and the second half illustrating his fusion of jazz and the rich folkloric music of his native Armenia. Hamasyan also performed his latest project, "An Ancient Observer," a solo piano piece that musically presents his observations on the world we live in today.
Watch Hamasyan perform with Berklee students at the festival: