Armenian Music Program - The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music

Armenian Woodwinds course flyer

FLASH NEWS! The Armenian Woodwinds Ensemble is BACK all year long!

By popular student-demand, the Armenian Woodwinds ensemble course is back for all three quarters this year at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music!

This course is dedicated to the study and performance of Armenian Woodwinds; the double reed duduk and the fipple flute shvi. Taught within the framework of a native pedagogy, students develop performance technique and musicality in tandem with a critical understanding of Armenian vernacular cultures and political histories. Musical lessons are taught via oral transmission in a participatory environment with corresponding discussions themed to some of the most pressing issues in Armenian music today. The course will also feature guest appearances and lessons by visiting Armenian woodwind masters, expanding students’ exposure to diverse instruments, styles and contexts of music-making in Armenia and the LA Armenian diaspora.

All performance levels are welcome and no prior music experience is needed. Enroll today!

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.
The Armenian Music Program at UCLA acknowledges the Gabrielino/Tongva peoples as the traditional land caretakers of Tovaangar (the Los Angeles basin and So. Channel Islands). As a land grant institution, we pay our respects to the Honuukvetam (Ancestors), ‘Ahiihirom (Elders) and ‘Eyoohiinkem (our relatives/relations) past, present and emerging.

VEM Ensemble

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,...

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Armenian Music Ensemble

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...

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Armenian Music Ensemble Concert

Ostin Ensemble Room | June 1, 2026

Watch the concert here

Khachatur Avetisyan's 100th Anniversary and Armenian Genocide Commemoration

Schoenberg Hall | April 23, 2026

Watch the concert here

Finding Home Through Songs

Schoenberg Hall | October 17, 2025

Watch the concert here

Our Recordings

Movses Pogossian and his colleagues continue their tireless advocacy for the music of Armenia with this ambitious 4 CD collection, Stanzas in August. At the heart of the release are two sub-collections devoted entirely to the music of Ashot Zohrabyan and Koharik Gazarossian, two consequential composers who shaped Armenian music far beyond their own oeuvres. The other discs include lesser known works by Aram Khachaturian, Tigran Mansurian, and Ghazaros Saryan, as well as premieres of piano miniatures by Artur Avanesov, and premieres by Vahram Sargsyan and Aram Hovhannisyan.

The CD is available on Amazon.

FemARC Third Workshop Flyer

Join us for the Feminist Armenian Research Collective (FemARC) Third Workshop: New Directions in Music, Arts, and Performance Studies!

The conference panels will take place on Tuesday, May 26, and Wednesday, May 27 in the Schoenberg Music Building room 1230 (Green Room).

The Tuesday sessions will be concluded with a concert, Piano Works of Koharik Gazarossian, at 6:00 pm in Schoenberg Hall.

See the full conference program here!

More News

Serenade with a Dandelion Named a Top Classical Album in 2024

Long-running and influential online magazine Textura has just released its top 20 lists for classical and jazz recordings of 2024. Coming in at number three on the list for quartet, ensemble or

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

Armenian Chamber Music album was co-conceived by School of Music Professor Movses Pogossian

A new album of contemporary chamber music might never have come into existence without SOM professor Movses Pogossian. Recorded on the UCLA campus, the album, Con Anima, is also among a select number of projects that the record label, Edition...