Album Notes

After a strong debut in 2004 in which “History: Volume I” earned praise as winner of the Big Apple Music Award’s “Best Traditional Instrumental Recording” and a nomination for the Armenian Music Award’s “Best Traditional Instrumental Recording”, Antranig Kzirian and Barrett Yeretsian yet again burst onto the music scene with “History: Volume II”, the eagerly anticipated follow-up to the original History project.

Collaborating musicians Antranig Kzirian and Barrett Yeretsian blended their talents to record a collection of Armenian folk and classical music, in addition to uniquely crafted original compositions. The duo also added the virtuosic contributions of Greg Hosharian on the piano and the melodious voice of Garin Simonian to diversify the reach of the project. Through the use of oud, piano and dhol, Antranig, Barrett and Greg attain a unique sound blending Armenia’s rich musical heritage with modern instrumental interpretation. “Imagine, young American-born Armenians playing ancient folk instruments, interpreting Sayat Nova and Kusan Ashot, and even composing new music in that same tradition!” stated Ara Dinkjian, renown composer of Armenian music. “In today’s technology driven pop music, we must lend our ears to these young Armenians seeking their individual voices through interpreting their musical heritage,” added Dinkjian.

Antranig and Barrett look forward to future projects to continue preserving their culture while pushing the envelope as musicians.

Antranig:

Antranig is an accomplished performer on the Oud, Guitar,
Bass, Bouzouki, and Sitar. As a member of the Aravod Ensemble, Antranig performs widely across the US, Canada and Europe on the oud. Antranig also teaches guitar and oud to music students to pass on Armenian music and culture. His musical influences include Oudi Hrant, George Mgrdichian, Richard Hagopian, John Berberian, John
Bilezikjian, Simon Shaheen, Roger Mgrdichian, Fred Elias, Bill Aliferis, Chick Ganimian, and Dick Barsamian, as well as the bands Metallica, Tool, Rage Against the Machine, Pearl Jam, Alice & Chains, Live, Soundgarden, & Primus.

Antranig holds a degree in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania, and is a graduate of Villanova University's Law School. Antranig's skills are reaching maturity on the violin and voice as well - in addition to his burgeoning original music projects.

For more information on Antranig and his other project â€" please click here: www.aravod.com

Barrett:

Barrett cultivated his amazing skills on the dhol through the years as an accomplished percussionist in the Los Angeles music scene. Early instruction on the dhol while visiting Armenia from a top dhol player sparked Barrett’s interest in the instrument. Barrett writes, produces, arranges, and records for his wildly popular band “Aviatic” in California. Barrett has performed at the top rock venues in Los Angeles and has opened for bands such as System of a Down.

Barrett holds a degree in Latin and Departmental Honors from the University of California at Los Angeles. He turned down scholarships from top law schools to pursue his musical ambitions and his success are apparent on Yahoo’s Launch website where Aviatic enjoys high status as one of the most frequently listened to bands.

For more information on Barrett’s interests and accomplishments â€" please click here: http://www.aviatic.us/bio.htm

Greg:

Born into a musical family, Greg Hosharian started playing the piano before the age of five. His father Edward Hosharian, a gifted composer and the conductor of the Los Angeles-based Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra, was his first music teacher. As a teenager, Greg composed his own music and won piano competitions and scholarships by playing classical selections and his own works. After grade school, Greg entered the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. Over the next four years, he began to experiment with different styles of music and instruments. Greg worked with a variety of bands and musicians and later formed two bands, one in rock and the other in Armenian music.

After high school, Greg entered the California Institute of the Arts where he earned my Bachelors degree in Composition in 2001. In 2004 he received the Masters degree in Composition and Orchestration from the California State University, Northridge. At the present time Greg is engaged in composing, conducting, teaching, performing, recording and writing soundtracks for Tokyo Pop’s Animation “Initial D.”