Arik Grigoryan will discuss the current revival of Armenian folk music and its contemporary interpretations. While many songs and melodies have been discovered and published by folklorists – just like archaeologists explore and discover old things, many of them are neglected. Arik Grigoryan will explain why and how they need to be rediscovered — and more importantly, recreated — in order to come back to life. His lecture will be accompanied by his own performances.

Arik is a founder of 3 bands, The Bambir, where he plays flute and is the songwriter; TmbaTa, which was created at Tumo Center for Creative Technologies for educational purposes; and Vishup, which explores folk and spiritual music.

You can join the meeting with these details on Zoom:

Meeting ID 893 7148 1871

Invite Link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89371481871

Email tato@armenianinstitute.org.uk if you have any questions about the sessions.

"Studio" is an exciting new series of zoom meetings in which you are invited to learn new skills and develop old ones.  We encourage beginners and those with experience to join us in exploring new ways to express your ideas.  AI is grateful to Arts Council England for their support of the  Studio Series.

Armenian Folk Dance: A Celebration of Life
with Shakeh Major Tchilingirian

The purpose of this workshop is to invite the participants to embark on a shared dancing journey. It is an invitation to discover the power, the deep symbolism and meanings encoded in these timeless folk dances.

This 90-minute participatory workshop will start with an introduction about Armenian folk dances and their connection to the people, their lands, rituals and traditions. We will then learn and experience a selection of popular folk dances.

No previous dance experience nor any prior knowledge is required — only a desire and willingness to celebrate life through Armenian dance. We recommend you dance with comfortable and well supported shoes or without shoes if you prefer. We also recommend you have enough clear space in front of your screen to move around when we dance together.

Zoom Meeting details:
Meeting ID 833 8641 0107

Invite Link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83386410107

"Studio" is an exciting new series of zoom meetings in which you are invited to learn new skills and develop old ones.  We encourage beginners and those with experience to join us in exploring new ways to express your ideas.  AI is grateful to Arts Council England for their support of the  Studio Series.

Storyteller Vergine Gulbenkian recites passages from the Daredevils of Sassoun, focussing on the deeds of some of the heroic women who startle and amaze those around them.  We will hear about Mher, Khandout Khatoun, Dzovinar and others as Vergine tells their stories and then talks about the legends and how she has worked on telling these episodes.  Join us for an adventurous evening!

2 Sessions: 22 June | 29 June

Zoom Meeting details:

Meeting ID 857 7078 7923

Invite Link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85770787923

Vergine Gulbenkian

Vergine Gulbenkian was drawn to performance storytelling as a direct and essential form of communication in 1991, after studying drama.

Her interest led her to research the rich Armenian oral tradition- co-producing a documentary video ashugh (epic singer) tradition in Armenia.

The shows she creates are based on traditional tales and epics and she performs them in venues that have included the South Bank centre, the Battersea Arts Centre, the British Museum, the Barbican Pit and the Soho Theatre.

She has received commissions from Festival at the Edge and Beyond the Border Storytelling festivals.

Vergine was ‘Storyteller in Residence’ for a project called Storytelling across cultures, bringing traditional tales to schools and community centres in Oxfordshire. She works with Museums, performs regularly at international storytelling festivals and works in schools, sharing the joy of telling and listening to stories with pupils and teachers.

We will welcome new participants at the second session if you missed the first one. Email tato@armenianinstitute.org.uk if you have any questions about the sessions.

"Studio" is an exciting new series of zoom meetings in which you are invited to learn new skills and develop old ones.  We encourage beginners and those with experience to join us in exploring new ways to express your ideas.  AI is grateful to Arts Council England for their support of the  Studio Series.

2 Sessions: 22 June | 29 June

Is there a story you dare not tell…yet?  Is there a story you often tell which has lost its fire and needs rekindling?   This Studio is an opportunity to explore a story: opening it up with questions, shaking it loose by trying different ways of telling it.  Above all, it’s about listening to how the story can be told, by you, at this time. 

Storytelling Studio is open to all who would like the space to work on a story with the help of an experienced guide and companions.

A few things to prepare ahead of the session:

• Bring an idea for a story you want to work on (or think of an idea for a story you want to work on). It can be a scene or a short story - that is about 5 minutes long

• Prepare some A4 paper and pens

• Set yourself up somewhere quiet with the possibility of standing up and moving around a bit

Prices:

£10 FOR THE SESSION

£5 CONCESSIONS

Vergine Gulbenkian

Vergine Gulbenkian was drawn to performance storytelling as a direct and essential form of communication in 1991, after studying drama.

Her interest led her to research the rich Armenian oral tradition- co-producing a documentary video ashugh (epic singer) tradition in Armenia.

The shows she creates are based on traditional tales and epics and she performs them in venues that have included the South Bank centre, the Battersea Arts Centre, the British Museum, the Barbican Pit and the Soho Theatre.

She has received commissions from Festival at the Edge and Beyond the Border Storytelling festivals.

Vergine was ‘Storyteller in Residence’ for a project called Storytelling across cultures, bringing traditional tales to schools and community centres in Oxfordshire. She works with Museums, performs regularly at international storytelling festivals and works in schools, sharing the joy of telling and listening to stories with pupils and teachers.

We will welcome new participants at the second session if you missed the first one. Email tato@armenianinstitute.org.uk if you have any questions about the sessions.

Zoom Meeting details:

Meeting ID 813 0364 0672

Invite Link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81303640672

"Studio" is an exciting new series of zoom meetings and workshops about arts and culture.  The Music series are Lecture-Demonstrations on different aspects of Armenian music each led by experts in their field, beginning with sacred music. Future sessions include classical, contemporary, folk and popular music.  AI is grateful to Arts Council England for their support of the Studio Series.

MUSIC STUDIO - SESSION 1: Musical modes and the Armenian Eight-Mode system

A musical mode is a particular sound environment. It creates a specific auditory sensation resulting in a “state of being”, an ethos. Whereas modern Western music has only the major and minor "modes ", numerous musical modes exist in a very large region from the Balkans to India. Modes are much more than just a series of pitches but rather can be described as " a sound environment ".
In Armenian church music, these different sound environments are organized within a system called the Oktoechos, the Eight-Mode system, which is especially important as a system for organizing the cyclic liturgical calendar, on which the musical aspect largely depends.  The Armenian Eight-Mode system operates especially within the sharagan songs, a large repertoire of more than 1300 songs, almost all based on a variation system of melodic patterns according to the text.

During our meeting, we will listen to some examples and try to feel the sound environment created by each mode of the Oktoechos.

Aram Kerovpyan

Aram Kerovpyan, born in Istanbul, has lived in Paris since 1977 and holds a PhD in musicology. Co-founder of the Ensemble Kotchnak, he is also founder/director of the Centre for Armenian Modal Chant Studies of Paris, the Ensemble Akn and between 1990 and 2020, Master-singer of the Armenian Cathedral of Paris. He has published many books and articles on Armenian modal music and transmission and directs workshops with Virginia Pattie Kerovpyan, also working regularly as a concert artist and in theater.

Our Music Studio Sessions will be presented over 5 Lecture-demonstrations by different artists about various musical styles and directions. More details coming soon.

You can join the meeting with these details on Zoom:

Meeting ID: 818 4400 5280

Join Link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81844005280

THE EVENT IS FREE BUT BY DONATING BELOW YOU WILL SUPPORT SIMILAR PROGRAMMES, LECTURES AND WORKSHOPS IN THE FUTURE

Email tato@armenianinstitute.org.uk if you have any questions about the sessions.

"Studio" is an exciting new series of zoom meetings in which you are invited to learn new skills and develop old ones.  We encourage beginners and those with experience to join us in exploring new ways to express your ideas.  AI is grateful to Arts Council England for their support of the  Studio Series.

4 Sessions: 25 May | 1 June | 8 June | 15 June

7:00 - 9:00 PM

Stories – our lives are made up of them, each one of us has our own unique story. We’ve inherited stories and we pass them on, we create new ones from the material of our lives and from our imaginations.  This four-week writing workshop will explore ways of sharing our experiences, thoughts, and imaginings, allowing us to open up each participant’s creativity, whether you are new to writing or more experienced. We will explore instant writing exercises, monologues, dialogue, shaping narratives so that we can communicate our stories to others in a relaxed and supportive atmosphere.

She first worked with the Armenian Institute when she directed Beast on the Moon by Richard Kalinoski at the Finborough Theatre and ran a writing workshop in connection with the play. She most recently wrote and directed Property, a new comedy about the London housing crisis.

Prices:

£12 PER SESSION | £40 FOR 4 SESSION COURSE

FOR EACH ADDITIONAL FAMILY MEMBER £8 PER SESSION | £30 FOR 4 SESSION COURSE

Concessions:

£5 PER SESSION | £15 FOR 4 SESSION COURSE

We will welcome new participants at the second session if you missed the first one. Email tato@armenianinstitute.org.uk if you have any questions about the sessions.

"Studio" is an exciting new series of zoom meetings in which you are invited to learn new skills and develop old ones.  We encourage beginners and those with experience to join us in exploring new ways to express your ideas.  AI is grateful to Arts Council England for their support of the  Studio Series.

2 Sessions: 23 MAY | 30 MAY

10:00AM-12:30PM

You can join the second session only if you have participated in the first one.

Animation Studio will have both theoretical and practical elements, beginning with an overview of different forms of animation and then experimenting with our own projects.

Session I:  Introduction to animation processes, practical and magical aspects. We watch extracts of films illustrating different techniques and then explore the app(s), learning to do stop-motion with webcam, making first quick tests. Brainstorming together and imagining a short, simple story follows. Participants will have gathered possible materials (see below) from their homes that can be used in the storyline. Ideas for spaces, characters, lighting and other elements are discussed and each person takes pictures of their creation, making a mini stop-motion film.

Session II: Focus on sound effects, voices, music.  Each person presents their few seconds of film (through “share screen” on Zoom). Together the group will imagine possible soundtracks or choose a prepared soundtrack, possibly overlaying voices or noises.   Finally, we explore what is visually missing to help understand the story. After adding the missing elements, we watch and listen to the results and then send all the clips to Maral for editing into one film as a memento of the course and inspiration to continue. We will have an opportunity to watch the final film and share impressions.

Her animation films include "Rinascita" (2008), "Öteki" (2010) and "Մէկը ա՛ռ, միւսին զարկ, La complainte du xénophobe" (2019) as well as an ongoing series of films in Armenian for children, which she has animated with the team of the « parev arev » association : "Tchare yev Parin"(2016), "Madid'e yev Nininoun" (2016), "Im mamas ou yes" (2017), "Djidjoz'e" (2017), "Lvatsk'e" (2018) and "Arev yev ansrev" (2019).

Prices:

£12 PER SESSION | £20 FOR 2 SESSION COURSE

FOR EACH ADDITIONAL FAMILY MEMBER £8 PER SESSION | £15 FOR 2 SESSION COURSE

Concessions:

£5 PER SESSION | £8 FOR 2 SESSION COURSE

Email tato@armenianinstitute.org.uk if you have any questions about the sessions.

"Studio" is an exciting new series of zoom meetings in which you are invited to learn new skills and develop old ones.  We encourage beginners and those with experience to join us in exploring new ways to express your ideas.  AI is grateful to Arts Council England for their support of the  Studio Series.

4 Sessions: 25 May | 1 June | 8 June | 15 June

7:00 - 9:00 PM

Stories – our lives are made up of them, each one of us has our own unique story. We’ve inherited stories and we pass them on, we create new ones from the material of our lives and from our imaginations.  This four-week writing workshop will explore ways of sharing our experiences, thoughts, and imaginings, allowing us to open up each participant’s creativity, whether you are new to writing or more experienced. We will explore instant writing exercises, monologues, dialogue, shaping narratives so that we can communicate our stories to others in a relaxed and supportive atmosphere.

She first worked with the Armenian Institute when she directed Beast on the Moon by Richard Kalinoski at the Finborough Theatre and ran a writing workshop in connection with the play. She most recently wrote and directed Property, a new comedy about the London housing crisis.

Prices:

£12 PER SESSION | £40 FOR 4 SESSION COURSE

FOR EACH ADDITIONAL FAMILY MEMBER £8 PER SESSION | £30 FOR 4 SESSION COURSE

Concessions:

£5 PER SESSION | £15 FOR 4 SESSION COURSE

Email tato@armenianinstitute.org.uk if you have any questions about the sessions.

"Studio" is an exciting new series of zoom meetings in which you are invited to learn new skills and develop old ones.  We encourage beginners and those with experience to join us in exploring new ways to express ideas.  Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

2 Sessions: 23 MAY | 30 MAY

10:00AM-12:30PM

Animation Studio will have both theoretical and practical elements, beginning with an overview of different forms of animation and then experimenting with our own projects.

Session I:  Introduction to animation processes, practical and magical aspects. We watch extracts of films illustrating different techniques and then explore the app(s), learning to do stop-motion with webcam, making first quick tests. Brainstorming together and imagining a short, simple story follows. Participants will have gathered possible materials (see below) from their homes that can be used in the storyline. Ideas for spaces, characters, lighting and other elements are discussed and each person takes pictures of their creation, making a mini stop-motion film.

Session II: Focus on sound effects, voices, music.  Each person presents their few seconds of film (through “share screen” on Zoom). Together the group will imagine possible soundtracks or choose a prepared soundtrack, possibly overlaying voices or noises.   Finally, we explore what is visually missing to help understand the story. After adding the missing elements, we watch and listen to the results and then send all the clips to Maral for editing into one film as a memento of the course and inspiration to continue. We will have an opportunity to watch the final film and share impressions.

Her animation films include "Rinascita" (2008), "Öteki" (2010) and "Մէկը ա՛ռ, միւսին զարկ, La complainte du xénophobe" (2019) as well as an ongoing series of films in Armenian for children, which she has animated with the team of the « parev arev » association : "Tchare yev Parin"(2016), "Madid'e yev Nininoun" (2016), "Im mamas ou yes" (2017), "Djidjoz'e" (2017), "Lvatsk'e" (2018) and "Arev yev ansrev" (2019).

Prices:

£12 PER SESSION | £20 FOR 2 SESSION COURSE

FOR EACH ADDITIONAL FAMILY MEMBER £8 PER SESSION | £15 FOR 2 SESSION COURSE

Concessions:

£5 PER SESSION | £8 FOR 2 SESSION COURSE

Email tato@armenianinstitute.org.uk if you have any questions about the sessions.