The Signature Series at Berklee continues with the ninth annual Berklee Middle Eastern Festival, this year featuring the music of Armenian pianist and composer Tigran Hamasyan. 

The Berklee Middle Eastern Fusion Ensemble, directed by festival founder Christiane Karam, associate professor of voice, will perform some of Hamasyan’s most celebrated works spanning his prolific and diverse career. The concert will also include excerpts from his choral album Lyus i Luso, arranged for choir, piano and strings, featuring the Pletenitsa Balkan Choir, also led by Karam; and the Berklee World Strings, led by Grammy Award-winning Berklee professor Eugene Friesen.

Hamasyan will also present a solo set, performing selections from his upcoming album, An Ancient Observer. Known for melding jazz, folk, progressive rock, and classical forms, Tigran Hamasyan has established himself as one of the most innovative artists of his age. His accolades include the top piano award at the 2013 Montreux Jazz Festival, and the 2016 Echo Jazz Award (the German Grammy) for International Instrumentalist of the Year.