Berklee Middle Eastern Festival Presents Tigran Hamasyan Trio Meets Pletenitsa

Berklee’s fall Signature Series continues with the 14th annual Berklee Middle Eastern Festival: Tigran Hamasyan Trio Meets Pletenitsa on Tuesday, November 15, at 8:00 p.m., at the Berklee Performance Center.

The concert will include music from Hamasyan’s most recent album, StandArt, which features American standards from the 1920s through the 1950s by Broadway composers Richard Rodgers and Jerome Kern, jazz great Charlie Parker, and others. Hamasyan’s previous albums including An Ancient Observer, The Fable, and Red Hail featured original compositions along with traditional music from his native Armenia blended with his distinctive jazz-rock style. 

“We are thrilled to have Tigran Hamasyan back as our esteemed guest for this festival, this time with his new trio and project,” said Christiane Karam, a professor in the Voice Department. “The concert will also feature the Pletenitsa Balkan Choir, both on its own and in a stellar collaboration with the trio, with a finale arrangement written by Hamasyan that will premiere that evening.”

Founded by Karam in 2011, the Pletenitsa Balkan Choir explores the choral traditions and folk music adaptations of the Balkans, the Middle East, the Caucasus, and parts of the Mediterranean. The Berklee Middle Eastern Festival, also founded by Karam, brings together artists and students from all corners of the world to celebrate the musical traditions of these regions, serving as a platform for cultural exchange and an opportunity to connect through the spirit of music. Past festivals have focused on classical Arabic, Turkish, Mediterranean, Balkan, and flamenco traditions and have included artists such as Pepe de Lucía, Javier Limón, Bassam Saba, Simon Shaheen, Binka Dobreva, and Hüsnü Senlendiriçi.

Tickets are $15 and $20 and are available online and at the Berklee box office. This is a seated event.