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| | Djivan Gasparyan
 Djivan Gasparyan is one of Armenia's greatest musicians — a living legend. He is the foremost virtuoso of the duduk. Gasparyan was born in 1928 in Solag, a village near the Armenian capital Yerevan. He began to play the duduk at age 6, gaining much of his knowledge by listening to the great masters. In 1948 he joined the Tatool Altounian National Song and Dance Ensemble, and also had his first professional engagement as soloist with the Yerevan Philharmonic Orchestra. Most of Gasparyan's repertoire features traditional Armenian folk songs. He also is an accomplished composer and a singer in the folk tradition. In addition to his original compositions and arrangements of traditional songs, he has written love songs based on the poetry of Vahan Derian. Gasparyan won Gold Medals in four worldwide competitions organized by UNESCO (1959, 1962, 1973, and 1980) and is the only musician ever to be given the honorary title of People's Artist of Armenia, received in 1973 from the Armenian government.
A professor at the Yerevan Conservatory, Gasparyan has prepared more than 70 duduk musicians for professional performance. Gasparyan has toured Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. In the United States, he has performed extensively in New York and Los Angeles, appeared with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, and has received exposure to Western audiences through performances with the Kronos Quartet. He has collaborated with Lionel Richie and Peter Gabriel and has recorded soundtracks for the movies The Russian House and The Crow and Atom Egoyan's film Calendar, as well as for the American-Hungarian cable television co-production Storm and Sorrow. (text courtesy of World Music Portal ; Photo by Chris Kissadjekian) | | Yeghish Manoukian
 Yeghish Manoukian is a prominent Armenian duduk player from Armenia. Currently residing in California, Manoukian has recorded several CDs throughout his career. He has recorded for Parseghian Records, Garni and Buda Music. Currently, American Recording Productions has recorded Manoukian performing solo duduk songs for the 2001 CD release: Echo of the Mountains. (photo courtesy of Ara Topouzian) | | Araik Bachtikian
 Araik Bachtikian plays duduk and zurna, he was a student of Djivan Gasparyan and he played the Duduk in many concerts with Avet Terterian's music, so in Dresden 1999. (photo courtesy of Terterian.org) | |
Gevorg Dabaghian
Gevorg Dabaghian is a young duduk player from Armenia. Dabaghian, also a widely recorded artist is most remembered for his work for Celestial Harmonies series The Music of Armenia. Prominently featured on The Music of Armenia: Duduk, Vol. 3. Gevorg Dabagian is among the most important duduk players in Armenia today. Not only a great virtuoso player, he is also one of the first to perform excerpts from the Divine Liturgy of the Armenian church on the duduk. Dabagian is especially famous for his interpretations of the works of Sayat Nova, and his performances of traditional Armenian folk music are considered by purists to be free of foreign influence. He studied at the Yerevan State Conservatory, where he now teaches; in addition, he is the leader of the Shoghaken Folk Ensemble. | | John Vartan
 John Vartan specializes in the performance of over twenty Middle Eastern instruments, including duduk. He has recorded over twenty albums and has performed live on television and for movie soundtracks. Dr. Vartan received his doctorate from New York University and is currently a professor at Kean University in New Jersey. Dr. Vartan authored The Armenian Duduk instruction booklet in 2000. | |
Armen Stepanyan
Armen Stepanyan was born in Yerevan, Armenia in 1962. His entire family is comprised of accomplished musicians and teachers. In 1970, Stepanyan began his musical tutelage in the piano department of the Haykanush Danieylyan School of Music. Ten years later he entered the prestigious Komitas State Conservatory, specializing on the Armenian duduk. In 1985, after graduating with honors, Stepanyan went on to his master’s degree for Armenian music. Since 1988, Stepanyan has been teaching in the folk instrument department of the Komitas State Conservatory, occasionally traveling throughout the world performing the Armenian duduk. Stepanyan currently resides in his birthplace of Armenia. |
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