Dudukner Ensemble

Founded in 1998 by prominent Armenian duduk player, teacher, and inventor Georgy Minasov (Minasyan), the Dudukner Ensemble has performed internationally ever since. Georgy Minasov created a full family of duduks — soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, and bass — with a vision to develop the duduk beyond its traditional range and sound, setting a solid foundation for new Armenian duduk polyphony and previously unheard music.

The Dudukner Ensemble's repertoire and accomplishments are remarkable. The ensemble recorded Komitas' liturgy in its entirety and excerpts from Makar Ekmalyan's liturgy for the first time ever. Composers Ruben Altunyan and Stepan Shakaryan created special pieces for the Dudukner quartet based on Komitas' works and Armenian folklore.

The ensemble performed internationally and scored award-winning films, including Eternal Hour (a documentary about Narekatzy). They won first place at the 2005 Kiev International Film Festival and first place at the Golden Apricot Festival in Yerevan. Their arrangements of three Komitas folk songs for the film Long Way Home, starring Isabel Bayrakdarian, earned high international praise.

In the wake of Georgy Minasov's passing in 2020, Georgi Minasyan Jr. took over the leadership of the Dudukner Quartet as Artistic Director. As a tribute to the great legacy left by Georgy Minasov, the Quartet aims to bring back the music of Medieval Armenia, featuring multi-layered secular and spiritual melodies characteristic of Armenian culture.