Tradition in music

Armenian song and dance in the SSU tonight

By Katie Hicks
The Collegian

Fourteen musicians and 30 folk dancers will bring the culture of old Armenia to Fresno State at 7 p.m. tonight when they perform in the Satellite Student Union.

The Chookasian Armenian Concert Ensemble and Zvartnots Armenian Folk Dancers will be performing traditional Armenian song and dance with several instruments that date back nearly 2,000 years.

Derek Daniels, co-coordinator of Fresno State’s Center Stage USU Productions said the group decided to ask the ensemble to campus this year because of the success it had in the past.

“We have a decent sized Armenian population on campus, and in the spirit of diversity we wanted to get the community involved,” Daniels said. “I have a few Armenian students in some of my classes and they are really excited about it.”

Fresno residents and musicians, John and Barbara Chookasian, have made it their lives ambition to preserve and perform the music of their culture. They along with 10 or more musicians make up the ensemble.

“My wife and I, we feel like it is our mission,” Chookasian said. “I think we are the only group in the U.S. that is worrying about the preservation of this art form.”

Chookasian talked about the origin of the music his group performs and its roots in the country of Armenia, which is now mostly present day Turkey.

“After the Armenian genocide, many Armenians left the country and we lost the aspect of our music,” Chookasian said. “Many of the names changed to Turkish names and many areas where Armenians lived are gone.”

The ensemble has been trying to keep the traditional music alive for more than 13 years and has played at venues all around the world including a recent trip to Armenia where they played for the president. In the U.S., they have toured various universities, churches, museums and concert halls including The Kennedy Center.

The Chookasian Armenian Concert Ensemble was recently featured in The Musicians Atlas, an independent music directory, as the No. 1 world music album.

Each musician is a graduate of a musical conservatory majoring in the instrument they play. The group has also added a keyboard and bass to round out the sound and make it more appealing to American audiences.

Chookasian said concertgoers might recognize some of the sounds of the instruments like the duduk, which dates back thousands of years, because they have recently been used in blockbuster movies like “The Gladiator.”

“It’s a haunting flute sound,” Chookasian said. “That sound is the duduk, but the movie has nothing to do with Armenians.”

Chookasian said he is always honored to play at Fresno State and appreciates the warm reception they have received in the past.

“I feel we have a very important obligation to serve the culture and the music,” Chookasian said. “And I’m so humbled by people from Fresno State who invite us to come and play.”

Zvartnots Armenian Folk Dancers have recently performed in Armenia under the artistic direction of Vartan and Armine Aghajanyan. The Los Angeles based group will also take the stage tonight to perform traditional Armenia dances.

Tonight’s concert is free to Fresno State students with ID, and $10 for general admission. The concert is partially funded by contributions from the Bertha and John Garabedian Charitable Foundation.

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