Biography
Areni Agbabian works as a composer of songs, a pianist grounded in formal training, a vocalist drawn to improvisation, a folk performer, and a recording artist. Her projects have extended across new opera, notably Michael Gordon's What to Wear under Richard Foreman's direction, as well as dance, contemporary jazz, new music, electro and ambient forms, and multi-media presentations. Beginning in 2009 she joined Tigran Hamasyan's quintet and contributed to multiple releases, among them Aratta Rebirth in 2011. She has also been featured on Sean Sonderegger's Magically Inclined album Eat the Air, Jose Gurria's Gurrisonic Orchestra recording Three Kids Music, and drummer and composer Alex Cline's Flower Garland Orchestra project Ocean of Vows. Her independently issued debut, Kissy, appeared in 2014, after which she joined the ECM roster two years later.
Santa Monica marks her birthplace. Her mother recalls that original melodies emerged in humming by eleven months, and that by age four she was striking xylophones and drums to generate fresh melodies and rhythms. Folk songs and rhymes entered her world through her aunt, a trained opera singer and specialist in Armenian music, and her mother, a storyteller and Armenian folklorist; these women transmitted the Armenian language that would anchor the musical path she follows. Classical piano instruction began at seven, accompanied by formal voice study. Participation in choirs encompassed Armenian sacred repertoire, Bulgarian folk material, and American music, while a professional course immersed her in traditional Armenian folklore and music. At twenty-seven she set aside piano studies to fuse her accumulated disciplines into original work, presenting improvisations for voice and piano alone or alongside fellow musicians. Relocation to New York City in 2008 allowed further pursuit of voice, piano, and experimental music alongside figures such as Lawrence "Butch" Morris, Tony Malaby, and Connie Crothers.
The Tigran Quintet, a contemporary jazz and rock ensemble also comprising saxophonist Ben Wendel, drummer Nate Wood, and bassist Sam Minaie, became her affiliation in 2009. Extensive recording and touring followed across France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Armenia, and California. Kissy reached listeners in 2014 as a self-released effort on which she handled every instrument and vocal part. Study grants from the Gulbenkian Foundation supported travel to France in 2015 and 2016, where she worked with mastersinger of Armenian liturgical chant Aram Kerovpyan and his wife Virginia Kerovpyan. Afterward she settled in Los Angeles. Manfred Eicher learned of her debut through Hamasyan and offered a contract; together with percussionist Nicolas Stocker of Nik Bartsch's Ronin, the pair convened in a Lugano studio late in 2016 to shape radically reinterpreted sacred hymns, a folk melody transcribed by Komitas, and numerous original pieces by Agbabian. ECM released the resulting collection, Bloom, in winter 2019.
Santa Monica marks her birthplace. Her mother recalls that original melodies emerged in humming by eleven months, and that by age four she was striking xylophones and drums to generate fresh melodies and rhythms. Folk songs and rhymes entered her world through her aunt, a trained opera singer and specialist in Armenian music, and her mother, a storyteller and Armenian folklorist; these women transmitted the Armenian language that would anchor the musical path she follows. Classical piano instruction began at seven, accompanied by formal voice study. Participation in choirs encompassed Armenian sacred repertoire, Bulgarian folk material, and American music, while a professional course immersed her in traditional Armenian folklore and music. At twenty-seven she set aside piano studies to fuse her accumulated disciplines into original work, presenting improvisations for voice and piano alone or alongside fellow musicians. Relocation to New York City in 2008 allowed further pursuit of voice, piano, and experimental music alongside figures such as Lawrence "Butch" Morris, Tony Malaby, and Connie Crothers.
The Tigran Quintet, a contemporary jazz and rock ensemble also comprising saxophonist Ben Wendel, drummer Nate Wood, and bassist Sam Minaie, became her affiliation in 2009. Extensive recording and touring followed across France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Armenia, and California. Kissy reached listeners in 2014 as a self-released effort on which she handled every instrument and vocal part. Study grants from the Gulbenkian Foundation supported travel to France in 2015 and 2016, where she worked with mastersinger of Armenian liturgical chant Aram Kerovpyan and his wife Virginia Kerovpyan. Afterward she settled in Los Angeles. Manfred Eicher learned of her debut through Hamasyan and offered a contract; together with percussionist Nicolas Stocker of Nik Bartsch's Ronin, the pair convened in a Lugano studio late in 2016 to shape radically reinterpreted sacred hymns, a folk melody transcribed by Komitas, and numerous original pieces by Agbabian. ECM released the resulting collection, Bloom, in winter 2019.
Albums
Singles
