A seven-member ensemble from Armenia takes the stage at Universal Preservation Hall at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, built entirely around the poetry of a priest who died more than 500 years ago. The Naghash Ensemble performs original compositions set to the words of Mkrtich Naghash, a medieval Armenian poet and priest who lived in the 1400s and left behind 15 poems. Composer John Hodian spent roughly 12 years setting all 15 of those poems to music before forming the group that carries the poet's name.
The Saratoga Springs concert is presented as part of Proctors Collaborative's 2026-27 Passport Series: Music Haven, according to Proctors Collaborative, marking the second stop in a six-concert series that brings touring artists to Proctors in Schenectady and to Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs. A Passport Series pass covering any three of the six performances runs $100, per the same announcement. As The Daily Gazette reported, the Naghash Ensemble has performed in America only three times, including this upcoming tour — making Thursday's show a rare chance for Capital Region audiences to catch the group live.
A Composer's Long Road From New York to Armenia
Hodian, who was born in America, now lives in Armenia and works as a composer, singer and pianist. He holds a master's degree in composition and studied Western classical music, including Bach, medieval and polyphonic vocal music, and contemporary classical composition, according to the Gazette's reporting. While living in New York, Hodian encountered the work of Steve Reich, Philip Glass and John Adams, influences that feed into the ensemble's sound alongside Armenian musical traditions, the same account notes.
Hodian founded the Naghash Ensemble specifically to perform the music he composed for Mkrtich Naghash's 15 surviving poems, blending Armenian folk and spiritual traditions with classical and contemporary influences, Proctors Collaborative notes. He has described the resulting music as rhythmic, intense, serious and engaging, and said his work with the ensemble over the past 10 to 15 years has been unlike anything he had done before, per the Gazette. The group's sound draws on Armenian music, early classical traditions, contemporary composition, American funk and minimalism, the paper reports.
Who's on Stage, and Who Else Is in the Series
The ensemble performing Thursday includes sopranos Hasmik Baghdasaryan and Tatevik Movsesyan, alto Shahane Zalyan, Andranik Gasparyan on duduk, Aram Nikoghosyan on oud and Tigran Hovhannisyan on dhol, with Hodian on piano, according to the Gazette's account. Asbarez's version of the ensemble roster lists the oud player as Aramayis Nikoghosyan, a minor spelling discrepancy between the two outlets' coverage.
The Music Haven series opened Sept. 24 with Maruja Limón at the GE Theatre at Proctors, the Gazette reports. Later installments include Gili Yalo at Proctors on Feb. 4 and Spain's La Banda Morisca at Universal Preservation Hall on March 6, with the season scheduled to close May 14 at Universal Preservation Hall featuring two-time Juno Award-winner Kiran Ahluwalia.
A Touring Life Spanning Continents
The Naghash Ensemble tours Europe frequently and launched its first European tour back in 2014, continuing to tour internationally ever since, according to The Armenian Weekly. Over 12 years of international touring, the group has appeared at venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Paris Philharmonic and the Elbphilharmonie, The Armenian Weekly reports.
Saratoga Springs is one stop on what The Armenian Weekly describes as an 11-city North American tour beginning in November, while Asbarez has characterized the broader North American run as the ensemble's third appearance on the continent. Per the Gazette's reporting, the group's current itinerary includes stops in Seattle, San Antonio, Beverly Hills and Toronto, with France also on the schedule, and Lithuania, Estonia and Austria planned for next spring. The Armenian Weekly's tour itinerary also includes stops in Salisbury, Keene, Winchester, Richmond and Kalamazoo, along with La Jolla. The ensemble's own tour page separately lists past engagements including globalFEST at David Geffen Hall in New York City, the Berklee Performing Arts Center in Boston, and the Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, Maryland.
