Born in Armenia, I spent my childhood in the historical Armenian highlands of Artsakh where my grandparents indulged me in various traditional arts and crafts. A master of needlework, my grandma fashioned ornate and beautiful linens embroidered with traditional images. We baked bread together in a Tonir, an Armenian traditional in-ground oven, as she sang, drawing all the children of the village to her window. Even now, I have maintained my grandmother’s traditions, singing and baking bread.
I moved to the United States in 2015 when I married my husband, a New Yorker with all the charisma of his Armenian roots. Back then, little did I know how deeply I was going to miss my culture and the beauty of my native homeland.
But my culture has stayed alive in my heart and soul, my mind and my body. I started to set up programs in various Armenian and American communities to help revive and inspire others with the songs, dances, and traditions that I brought with me.
Wisdom tells us that little comes to pass by coincidence. It has been a varied and ever evolving path which made me the person I am now, and through music and song I have found a way to share the precious things that I’ve gathered over the years.
Bringing together Armenian music, culture, and its Christian influences, I have researched and sung traditional Armenian Lullabies, some centuries old, some formerly forgotten. My greatest wish is that this music keeps alive the inner child within us all, telling the stories of our lives, the struggles, happiness, and emotions throughout life.
Gayane’s residency in the Whitney Point School District produced this curriculum: Analyzing Identity and Culture in Lullabies
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