Georgy Minasov

Georgy Minasyan (Minasov) (July 18, 1933 – August 20, 2020) was a duduk master player, inventor, music teacher and Honored Artist of the Republic of Armenia. His musical mastery has left a lasting legacy in the preservation of the Armenian folk tradition.

Georgy Minasyan graduated from the Baku Musical College in Azerbaijan and performed with the Folk Instruments Orchestra of the Azerbaijan National Radio and Television as a soloist. In 1983 he moved to Yerevan, Armenia and joined the Gussan and Folk Music Ensemble. He taught duduk at the R. Melikyan Music College in Yerevan and performed in Armenia, Europe and around the world.

In 1998 Georgy Minasyan founded the Dudukner Ensemble — a duduk ensemble playing national Armenian music, classical and sacred music, and jazz entirely on duduks. They scored soundtracks for award-winning films including the 2004 documentary Eternal Hour, and won first prize at Kiev's International Film Festival in 2005 and first place at the Golden Apricot festival in Yerevan.

Besides being a masterful performer, Georgy Minasyan was an experienced inventor. His patented modifications to the traditional duduk include a system of additional metal levers to increase the instrument's range. He created a full family of duduks: soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, and bass.

He is the author of many academic books on playing the duduk, including Armenian Duduk Method, Duduk For Beginners, and Duduk Virtuoso: Scales and Exercises for Traditional and Extended Range Armenian Duduk.