The Armenian Music Program at UCLA is an academic program dedicated to the study and performance of Armenian music. It offers public concerts, workshops, community outreach events, undergraduate courses on Armenian music and dance, and fellowships for UCLA students to study and perform the diverse styles and repertoires of Armenian music.
Armenian
Music Program
Contact Us
Celebrating Armenian
Music, Arts, and Culture
Feb 26 Wed
7:30pm
Free
Free
classical, lectures-symposia, world-music
A Concert Dedicated to Grikor Mirzaian Suni The UCLA Armenian Music Program presents a concert dedicated to the Armenian composer, Grikor Mirzaian Suni. Event program and details coming soon!
Lani Hall
May 6 Tue
5:00pm
Free
Free
classical, lectures-symposia, world-music
Lecture and Concert Dedicated to Koharik Gazarossian The Armenian Music Program presents a lecture and concert dedicated to Koharik Gazarossian, Armenian composer and pianist. The event will feature acclaimed pianist Nare Karoyan, who is traveling from Germany
Lani Hall
May 30 Fri
11:00am
Free
Free
world-music
5th Annual Day of Armenian Music The Armenian Music Program presents its 5th annual day-long Armenian Music festival. Schedule of events coming soon!
Lani Hall
Courses (2023-2024)
- Introduction to Armenian MusicARMENIA/ETHNMUS/MUSC M134
Instructor: Melissa Bilal
T/R, 1:00pm – 2:50 PM
Fall 2024
For inquiries contact Melissa Bilal
at melissabilal2@gmail.com - Beginning Armenian DanceBeginning Armenian DanceDANCE 12
Instructor: Natalie Kamajian
Winter & Spring 2024
T/R 12:30-1:50 p.m.
For inquiries contact Melissa Bilal
at melissabilal2@gmail.com - Introduction to Armenian Woodwinds: Duduk and ShviETHNMUS 91z & 161z
Instructor: Armen Adamian
Winter & Spring 2025
Wednesdays 4 - 7 PM
For inquires contact Armen Adamian
at adamianarmen@gmail.com
VEM Ensemble Learn More
The VEM Ensemble is the Graduate Ensemble-in-Residence of the Program, dedicated to bringing forward Armenian classical and contemporary music through heartfelt, high-level performances. Under the artistic directorship of Movses Pogossian, distinguished professor of violin and the founder/advisor of our program, the Ensemble features Ally Cho (violin), Damon Zavala (viola), and Niall Tarō Ferguson (cello). Vem means rock in Armenian, symbolizing the strength and lasting power of Armenian history and musical heritage.
Learn More
Armenian Music Ensemble Learn More
The Armenian Music Ensemble under the directorship of UCLA Ethnomusicologist Armen Adamian focuses on the study and performance of Armenian vernacular musical styles and repertoires. The ensemble is supported by the Armenian Music Program’s mentor-student fellowship program through which each academic year, a group of UCLA students and alumna are provided with the opportunity of working with distinguished musicians from the local Armenian community.
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Our Recordings
Serenade with a Dandelion
The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music Armenian Music Program featured a world premiere of Serenade with a Dandelion on March 4, 2024. Hailed as a “game changer,” “a five-star recording,” and a “treasure trove of fine and compelling music,” Serenade with a Dandelion is among the most ambitious Armenian music recording projects ever completed. Conceived as a continuation of the ongoing recordings of Armenian music in the Modulation Necklace Series, the new CD features music by legends Komitas Vardapet and modern-day master Tigran Mansurian, as well as cutting-edge new composers. Spanning acentury of music, this is “a powerful and beautiful testament to Armenia’s rich musical legacy.”
Explore all recordings here
Revisit Our Past Events
Intersections: Armenian Classical Composers
Hammer Museum | April 17, 2024
Serenade with a Dandelion: 4 CD-Set Album Launch Concert
Lani Hall | March 4, 2024
Celebration of Aram Khachaturian's 120th Birth Anniversary
Lani Hall | November 17, 2023
Third Annual Day of Armenian Music at UCLA
Schoenberg Hall and Courtyard | May 2023
Newsletter: Modulation Necklace
Our Media & Press Appearances
More News
Third Annual Day of Armenian Music to Feature Noted Armenian Composer, Artur Avanesov
In 2013, the Armenian Music Program was launched at UCLA with a single ensemble-in-residence, the string quartet VEM. The ensemble performed on campus and conducted a few outreach programs in
VEM Ensemble Sets out on 2023 Eastern U.S. Tour
The VEM Ensemble of the Armenian Music Program at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music is coming to Detroit, Boston and Montreal as part of a tour sponsored by
VEM Ensemble's International Tour
The VEM Ensemble has just completed its week-long tour of Armenia. Next up is “Resonances: The Music of Armenia” at the Hammer Museum on Wednesday, April 19, 2023 at 7:30
Learn About Our Team
Melissa Bilal
The Promise Chair in Armenian Music, Arts, and Culture, Director of Armenian Music Program
Movses Pogossian
Distinguished Professor of Violin; Founder and Advisor, Armenian Music Program - Music Performance
Mary Sekayan
Coordinator of Armenian Music Program
Armen Adamian
Instructor of Armenian Woodwinds; Ph.D. Student in Ethnomusicology
Natalie Kamajian
Instructor of Beginning Armenian Dance; Ph.D. Student in Culture and Performance
Cross-Campus Collaborators
Narekatsi Chair in Armenian Studies
Richard Hovannisian Endowed Chair in Modern Armenian History
The Promise Armenian Institute
Promise Institute of Human Rights
Gender Studies Department
Armenian Student Association
Armenian Studies Minor
Support the program and keep the music playing!