Araïk Bartikian

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Araïk Bartikian was born in 1962 in Ghawar (Armenia).
He has been playing duduk since he was 14. In 1982 he graduated from the Yerevan state conservatory (class of Dzhivan Gasparyan).
In 1987 he took part in the National competition of Armenian music, and ended up winning the 1st prize. Since 1989 he has participated in numerous concerts in Ukraine, Russia and Europe.
Araïk Bartikian is the first duduk and zurna player to become a member of the great Armenian composer Avet Terteryan's III-rd Symphony ensemble. Later he took part in numerous concerts and recordings with such famous ensembles as, for example, the London Sinfonietta, the Symphonic Orchestra of Dresden, the Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Georgian Polyphonic Banquet. In his new show «Monodiques», Arayik Bartikyan offers a repertoire that uses a wide array of possibilities of a duduk, which is the first wind instrument with double reed in music’s history.
The duduk was recognized as the most original and authentic Armenian instrument among other traditional ones. In 2005 it was classified by UNESCO as «a non-material cultural heritage of humanity.»
In 2012 Araïk Bartikian and his duduk accompanied live performances of «Ils s'aiment» during two exclusive appearances by Daniel Lavoie: at the television show «Les années bonheur» on the French channel «France 2», and at the concert at the Parisian «La Cigale» on November 13.