An Afternoon of Armenian Music and Culture with the Ara Topouzian Trio

Ara Topouzian

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich.The Ara Topouzian Trio will be the featured entertainers at a family-friendly afternoon of Armenian music and culture on Sunday, October 23 at The Hawk Farmington Hills Community Center located at 29995 W. Twelve Mile Road.

Pre-concert activities running from 2 to 4 p.m. include a hands-on exploration of Armenian culture featuring music, arts and crafts for all ages. The concert, presented by the City’s Cultural Arts Division, begins at 4 p.m. in The Hawk’s Blackbox Theatre. The Ara Topouzian Trio will share anecdotes, stories and an array of classical and folk music played in Armenian villages for hundreds of years.

Topouzian’s traditional musical style, which honors his Armenian heritage, has now expanded to include music from throughout the Middle East, as well as jazz, fusion, new age and blues. His proficiency at the kanun, a 76-stringed Middle Eastern laptop harp, has brought him national recognition.

In 2012, Topouzian earned a Kresge Performing Arts Fellowship. In 2015, he was named the Farmington Area Artist in Residence and was also voted the best local folk artist in WDIV’s “Vote 4 The Best” contest. In a recent PBS documentary, Topouzian said, “As an Armenian, I want to educate outsiders about the history of Armenian culture. There’s history in these instruments, and there’s history with this music.”

In 1991, Topouzian founded American Recording Productions. His record label has now produced over 30 recordings of Armenian, Middle Eastern, Bulgarian and Greek music with worldwide distribution.

Tickets for the concert are $20 in advance or at the door. There is no admission fee for the pre-concert activities. 

Guest Contributor

Guest Contributor

Guest contributions to the Armenian Weekly are informative articles or press releases written and submitted by members of the community.

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