Gevorg Dabaghyan is one of the most known contemporary duduk players in the world. He was born in 1965 in Yerevan, Armenia.
In 1992 he received his Master's Degree at the Yerevan State Conservatory. In 1990 Gevorg Dabaghyan won the Grand Prix for the nomination of the Best Eastern National Instruments in Dushanbe.
In 1991-1992 he gained the principal prize for the Sayat-Nova Nomination, which was held in Yerevan.
In 1995 the CD issued by the firm "Celestial Harmonies" was rewarded with the international „INDI“-prize.
In 2001 Gevorg Dabaghyan participated in the "The World's Multi-Voice" international music project in Moscow.
Several CD’s of Dabaghyan have been released by the “TRADCROSS” Label in New York since 2002.
Gevorg Dabaghyans repertoire encompasses the Duduk compositions of the traditional folk songs and dances, ashoogh (Armenian bard) songs, Armenian liturgical music, as well as the pieces of modern composers. He performed the duduk part in several modern compositions with such great artists of our days as Yuri Bashmet and Moscow Soloists, Yo-Yo Ma and The Silk Road Ensemble, saxophonist J. Garbarek, violinist G. Kremer, Atlas Ensemble, Xenia Ensemble. He appeared with concerts in Armenia, Italy, the USA, Georgia, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Finland, Russia, Hungary, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Iran, Lebanon, Norway, France, Switzerland, Poland, Canada, the United Arabian Emirates, and Lithuania.
Since 2001 Gevorg Dabaghyan is an official duduk player of Yo-Yo Ma’s „The Silk Road Project“. He performed the duduk part in several compositions of Vache Sharafyan, such as “The Sun, the Wine and the Wind of Time” for duduk, violin, cello and piano, “Ascending kyamancha” for duduk, zurna, cello and piano, “Morning scent of the acacia’s song” with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble in different venues of the world including Carnegie hall, Chicago Symphony Space, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Cologne Philharmonic Hall.
Among Dabaghyans performances in 2007 there are participations in the premieres of Vache Sharafyan’s “My Lofty Moon” for 5 Eastern and 8 Western instruments with Atlas Ensemble in Amsterdam Muziekgebouw (January 23), as well as in the world premiere of Sharafyan’s Concerto “Surgite Gloriae” for solo Viola, duduk, boy soprano, baritone and orchestra with Yuri Bashmet and “Moscow Soloists” at the Elba Isola Festival in Italy (September 4) and Moscow Conservatory Grand hall (September 19, philharmonics season opening), as well as Sharafyan’s “Arrangements and Transcriptions from Komitas for duduk and strings with the National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia (cond. A. Gharabekian) in the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris (April 20). In 2008 he participated (pre-recorded) in the world premiere of Sharafyan’s “Sinfonia 2 un poco Concertante” with the Boston Modern Symphony Orchestra, which was conducted by Gil Rose at the Jordan Hall in Boston.
Dabaghayn is the establisher of the “Shoghaken” Folk Ensemble and the Dabaghayn duduk trio; he plays with foreign folk groups as well as foreign performers such as Rabih Abou-Khalil.
Dabaghyan performed in soundtracks for several movies, such as “Ararat”, directed by Atom Egoyan and “La Masseria delle Allodole”, directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani.
The project “Armenian Duduk Music” made by Dabaghyan and Sharafyan, was announced as a Masterpiece of the Human Intangible Treasures by UNESCO in 2005.
Currently Dabaghyan holds a professorship for Duduk at the Yerevan State Conservatory. He received the award of the Honored Artist of Armenia in 2005. Tuesday, May 14, 2002, By R.M. CAMPBELL, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER MUSIC CRITIC:
„The evening did not just belong to Ma. Sharafyan's "The Sun, the Wine and the Wind of Time," scored for piano trio and duduk (an ancient Armenian wooden flute), was melancholy and searching... Gevorg Dabaghyan played the duduk with admirable poise.“
