Armenian Navy Band & Arto Tunçboyaciyan

Winner of the 2006 BBC World Music “Planet Audience Award,” Armenian Navy Band was founded in 1998 by Arto Tunçboyaciyan, a charismatic composer, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist, the founder of Avant-Garde Folk Music. Since childhood, music has been Arto’s fundamental element of life. He started playing music professionally in 1968. He has tried to communicate his greatest values: Love, Respect, and Truth. Aiming to make his “sound worlds” audible in the way he wished, Arto visited Armenia. Here he met open-minded and enthusiastic musicians who would soon become the Armenian Navy Band and spread the ideology of Love, Respect, and Truth in the world of music. In the same year, 1998, they recorded their first album “Bzdik Zinvor,” a very sincere voice of life, nature, and love. Since 1999, ANB started its regular tours in Europe. During 1999, Armenian Navy Band recorded their second album “New Apricot.” In 2001 in Istanbul, they recorded a new album called “Light Anatolian Music with Turkish Words,” which is a very beautiful and unique expression of life experience. In the fall of 2003, a new project was born in a Yerevan studio. It was the beginning of a large sound project called “Sound of Our Life - Part One: Natural Seeds.” Arto considers this album his music diary. It is a one-hour-long composition for the ANB and choir & string orchestras. It will be followed by part 2 and part 3, and maybe part 4. In 2004, they recorded a new album “How Much is Yours,” which was their first album in Armenian. In 2005, they recorded the soundtrack for the movie “Le Voyage En Armenie.” In 2008, they recorded the soundtrack for the movie “Platon.” In 2009 they released the superlative album "Under Your Thoughts." The ANB is currently working on and preparing to release two new projects “Sound of Our Life – Part Two” and “Simple Like Water, Deep Like Water.” ANB’s music is Arto's original compositions, which express the sound of past generations along with today's life with the imagination of the future. This is what he calls "Avant-Garde Folk." The Armenian Navy Band represents the synthesis of Arto's 38-year-old musical journey, his life experiences, and philosophy.

Members:

Arto Tunçboyaciyan - percussions, vocals
Armen Hyusnunts - tenor & soprano sax
Vahagn Hayrapetyan - keyboards
Armen Ayvazyan - kemanche
Anahit Artushyan - kanun
Tigran Suchyan - trumpet
David Nalchajyan - alto sax
Vardan Grigoryan - duduk, zurna
Norayr Kartashyan - blul, duduk, zurna
Vahram Davtian - trombone
Gagik "Gagas" Khodavirdi - guitar
Artyom Manoukyan - bass, cello
Arman Jalalyan - drums