John Hodian heard soprano Hasmik Baghdasaryan’s voice at Garni temple in Armenia and knew, in the way such moments arrive, that he was listening to the beginning of something. What followed was the Naghash Ensemble, a septet of vocalists and instrumentalists who draw on the sacred poetry of medieval Armenian poet-priests and carry it into concert halls around the world. They perform at Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs on Thursday, November 5, presented by Proctors Collaborative’s Passport Series.
About the Show
The ensemble numbers seven: Hodian on piano and composition, three female vocalists (Hasmik Baghdasaryan, soprano; Tatevik Movsesyan, soprano; Shahane Zalyan, alto), and instrumentalists Harutyun Chkolyan on duduk, Aram Nikoghosyan on oud, and Tigran Hovhannisyan on dhol. Their central work, Songs of Exile, sets texts by Mkrtich Naghash, the 14th-century Armenian poet-priest for whom the ensemble is named, and the religious poet Kostandin Erznkaci — a piece the ensemble describes as “a meditation on man’s relationship to God from the perspective of a monk forced to live in exile for many years.” A 2025 release, Songs of Wisdom, brought a companion work to mark more than a decade of international touring. Their most recent recording, The Naghash Ensemble Live, Volume I, was captured at performances in Helsinki and Den Haag. The ensemble’s music does not appear on streaming services, which makes the live record and the touring calendar the primary ways to encounter the work.
The November 5 date is part of the ensemble’s North American tour, running November 4–21, with stops in Seattle, Beverly Hills, and Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music. The ensemble made its U.S. debut in 2023, with dates at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage among others, and performed a sold-out set at globalFEST at David Geffen Hall earlier this year. Rolling Stone has called the music “a moment of grace and meditation”; KEXP described it as “an enchanting elixir of sounds based on new Armenian folk and centuries-old poetry.” Armenisch-Deutsche Korrespondenz offered the most direct frame: “Part folk music, part classical, and profoundly moving. Unmistakably Armenian, but out of this world.”
Venue & Logistics
Universal Preservation Hall sits at 25 Washington St in Saratoga Springs, the Capital Region home of Proctors Collaborative’s Passport Series, a world music program that programming director Jean Leonard has called an important way for the region’s performing arts centers to reflect the increasingly global dimensions of contemporary life. Show time is 7:30 p.m.
Tickets
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