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Jivan Gasparyan
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Jivan Gasparyan was born in 1928 in Solag, a village near the Armenian capital Yerevan
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He began to play the Duduk since he was six, gaining much of his knowledge by listening to the great masters. In 1948 he joined the Tatoo' Altounian National Song and Dance Ensemble, and also had his first professional engagement as soloist with the Yerevan Philharmonic Orchestra.
Most of Gasparyan's repertoire features traditional Armenian folk songs. He also is a
n accomplished composer and a singer in the folk tradition. Jivan won Gold Medals in four worldwide competitions organized by UNESCO (1959, 1962, 1973, and 1980) and is the only musician ever to be given the honorary title of People's Artist of Armenia (1973). In 2002 he also won the WOMEX award for a lifetime contribution to music.
A professor at the Yerevan Conservatory, Gasparyan has prepared more than 70 duduk musicians for professional performance. He greatly enjoys teaching, and it brings him joy to know that through his efforts the tradition of duduk playing will not be lost.
Gasparyan has received exposure to Western audiences through performances with the Kronos Quartet. Gasparyan's album of Armenian folk songs and ballads, I will not be sad in this World (All Saints, 1989), dedicated to victims of the Armenian earthquake, has received worldwide recognition. He has collaborated with many world known artists such as Peter Gabriel, Michael Brook, Andreas Vollenweider, Lionel RichieHossein Alizadeh which the latter one brought him a nomination for the "Best World Music Album of the Year 2006" from the Grammy Awards(Endless Vision, Hermes Records).
His contribution to the soundtrack of The Gladiator is only one of his continuing collaborations with the film industry both in Hollywood and in Europe. The Russia House, The Siege and The Crow are also on his calendar.
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