‘Zulal’ to Perform at St. Vartan Cathedral

NEW YORK—On Sun., Dec. 14, the Armenian a cappella folk trio “Zulal” will appear in concert performing new material from their upcoming third album at St. Vartan Cathedral in New York. The benefit concert will be held in honor of the 2014 Annual Appeal of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern).

Zulal is a vocal folk trio that has been charming audiences since 2002. Three singers build upon some of Armenia’s most mesmerizing folk melodies with original arrangements, journeying into the past with a sound that is captivating to the modern ear. Their impressive performance roster includes the Getty Museum, the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, and performances with Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble and Cirque du Soleil. Zulal’s success—attributed to their engaging stage presence, ethereal harmonies, and witty between-song banter and story-telling in English—is in bringing the rich heritage of Armenia’s rural folk music to diverse audiences, both young and old. The three singers have not only collected and arranged a powerful set of songs, but deliver a performance that calls on a simpler time and place, yet dazzles in its contemporary sensibility and wit.

Zulal’s members, Teni Apelian, Yeraz Markarian, and Anais Tekerian, ask their audience to leave behind the transience of modern life and connect to the enchanting melodies and vibrant, colorful characters of the Armenian village through songs that come to life in three-part harmony. The story-telling and singing of the Armenian folk trio animate the trials and joys of traditional folk life: budding romances in elevated gardens, gossip in village markets, the war of vanities between local village girls, moonlit faces of shepherd boys and their brides, the lament of lost wishes, and the enduring vibrations of dance, celebration, and survival…

This long-awaited performance in New York will give local supporters the chance to get a glimpse of the spirit that has left so many communities raving about Zulal: three women who have managed to bring new energy to traditional repertoire while making it accessible, playful, and transporting.

“An amazing accomplishment of brilliant music. Live performances are highly recommended, they are an experience,” raves one audience member. “Zulal, an a cappella trio of Armenian-American women who refract ancestral folk songs through the prism of the collegiate close-harmony group, do so to spectacular effect,” says Justin Davidson of New York Magazine.

The concert begins at 2 p.m. at St. Vartan Cathedral, Kavookjian Hall, 230 Second Avenue at 34th Street, New York, N.Y. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased by visiting http://zulal.ticketleap.com/ny; student and senior discount is available at the door. For more information, visit www.zulal.org.