Djivan Gasparyan

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Djivan Gasparyan (Armenian: Ջիվան Գասպարյան born 1928 in Solag, Armenia) is an Armenian musician and composer. He plays the duduk, an Armenian double reed woodwind instrument related to the orchestral oboe. Djivan Gasparyan is widely known as the "Master" of Duduk. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

[edit] Biography

He has won four world-wide gold Medal UNESCO competitions (1959, 1962, 1973, and 1980). In 1973, he became the first musician to receive the honorary title of People's Artist of Armenia.^[4] A professor at the Yerevan State Musical Conservatory, he has instructed and nurtured many performers to professional levels of performance in duduk.

In 2002, he received the WOMEX (World Music Expo) lifetime achievement award.

He has toured the world several times with a small ensemble playing Armenian folk music.

He has collaborated with many artists, such as Hossein Alizadeh, Sting, Erkan Ogur, Michael Brook, Peter Gabriel, Brian May, Lionel Richie, Derek Sherinian, Ludovico Einaudi, Boris Grebenshchikov, Hans Zimmer and Andreas Vollenweider.

Djivan Gasparyan and Hossein Alizadeh were jointly nominated for a 2007 Grammy award for their 2006 collaboration album Endless Vision. Djivan Gasparyan is also highly respected in Iran for his contribution to Iranian and Armenian music^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] Discography

• I Will Not Be Sad in This World (All Saints, 1989)
• Moon Shines at Night (All Saints)
• Ask Me No Questions (Traditional Crossroads 4268, 1996)
• Apricots From Eden (Traditional Crossroads 4276, 1996)
• The Crow, soundtrack
• Black Rock, with Michael Brook (Realworld 46230, 1998)
• Djivan Gasparyan Quartet (Libra Music 1998)
• The Siege, soundtrack (1998)
• Eden Roc (Ludovico Einaudi, 1999)
• Heavenly Duduk (Network 1999)
• Cosmopoly, as guest of Andreas Vollenweider (EDEL records, SLG records (USA/Canada)
• Armenian Fantasies (Network 34801, 2000)
• Gladiator: More Music From the Motion Picture, soundtrack
• Fuad, with Erkan Ogur (Traditional Turkish & Armenian songs) (2001)
• Blood of the Snake, Derek Sherinian (2006) (Gaspayran appears on the track "Prelude To Battle")
• RockPaperScissors, Michael Brook (EQR 0006, 2006)(Gaspayran appears on track "Pasadena part two")
• Pangea with Lian Ensemble (Houman Pourmehdi & Piraye Pourafar), Swapan Chaudhuri and Miroslav Tadić (Lian

Records 118, 2006)

• The Soul of Armenia (Network Medien’s double-CD package 2008)

[edit] References