Duduk and Cello: Concert for Ukraine

1600 West Balboa Boulevard,Newport Beach CA 92663

01 May, 2022

Description

Duduk and cello. Ruben Hayrutunyan and Maxim Velichkin will perform in Newport Beach, on the banks of Newport Harbor. Our thoughts are with Ukraine. The war may be happening on the other side of the globe, but it is hitting close to home for many in United States and California. We couldn't just sit idly by and do nothing. So we decided to organize this concert. Duduk and cello. Ruben Hayrutunyan and Maxim Velichkin will perform in Newport Beach, on the bank of Newport Harbor, in one of the most beautiful centers overlooking the bay. Another date to remember is Armenian genocide, April 24th, hence the duduk. The unique Armenian duduk is a more than 2,000-year-old musical instrument that has survived along with one of the oldest nations in the world. The duduk, or apricot horn, is a purely Armenian national instrument that has won acclaim in the world music industry due to UNESCO’s acknowledgement in the representative list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008. Ruben Harutyunyan is considered one of the world’s most accomplished duduk players. He has performed at global music festivals, played and recorded with top international pop musicians, and performed on numerous film soundtracks, including Traffic and Kingdom of Heaven. International artists with whom Ruben has appeared in concert include Axiom of Choice, Demis Roussos, Michael Brook, Ebi and Moein, among others. Three of Harutyunyan’s recordings, including the groundbreaking rendition of Komitas’ Divine Liturgy, performed entirely on duduks, have been honoured with the Album of the Year Award at the 1999, 2004 and 2006 Armenian Music Awards. Maksim Velichkin has been active as a solo performer, chamber and orchestra musician, both locally and throughout the world. Mr.Velichkin has appeared as a soloist with Uzbekistan National Symphony, Duquesne Contemporary Ensemble, American Youth Symphony, as well as Torrance, Westchester, Southeast and Bellflower orchestras. He has toured extensively to Europe, Asia, North and South America and Australia with the prestigious Verbier Chamber and Verbier Festival Symphony Orchestras. Maksim has worked with such outstanding conductors and instrumentalists as James Levine, Kurt Masur, Charles Dutoit, Yuri Temirkanov, Wolfgang Sawallish, Herbert Blomstedt, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Neemi and Paavo Yarvi, Gabor Takacs-Nagy, Sarah Chang, Maxim Vengerov (recording project for EMI), Yuri Bashmet, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Bobby Mc Ferrin, Joshua Bell. He has performed A. Vivaldi's Double Concerto with Bobby Mc Ferrin in Switzerland, Mendelssohn Octet at the 2005 Miyazaki Music Festival in Japan. Join us for a unique performance! A benefit concert will feature Ukrainian songs and art, and raise funds for affected by the war, still going in Ukraine. Complimentary tea/coffee and sweets, we try to keep this tradition at every concert. Tickets here: https://www.theplacetoplay.org/event-details/duduk-and-cello-concert-for-ukraine