Cellist Karen Ouzounian, acclaimed for her work with the Silkroad Ensemble and the Aizuri Quartet, joins composer-pianist Lembit Beecher to close the season’s MUSE series with Mayrig, an immersive multimedia program centered on the human voice. Voices of Ouzounian’s mother and grandmother weave through Armenian music from Anatolia, songs of Lebanon, and the music of Charles Aznavour, alongside new works exploring memory, heritage, and resilience across generations.
The program spans centuries and cultures, opening and closing with Marin Marais’s Les Voix Humaines. Traditional Armenian songs and early Anatolian recordings appear alongside arrangements of music by Charles Aznavour and Ashot Satyan. Original works by Lembit Beecher are joined by contemporary voices including Layale Chaker, Nathalie Joachim, and Niloufar Nourbakhsh, interwoven with recorded voices from Ouzounian’s family. Blending voice, memory, and music, Mayrig unfolds as a deeply human meditation on identity, inheritance, and the passage of time.
Single tickets: $60 - $65
Arts Workers: $20 – please purchase at the door or call the TOLive box office at 416-366-7723 and select options 1-1 to speak with a box office specialist.
Students and minors: Free with request
Adults (up to 2) accompanying minors (free): Half price
To request student tickets or for more information, please email tickets@music-toronto.com.
Please note, these concerts may not be suitable for children under 7.
Program
Mayrig (Mother)
Mayrig (Mother) is an immersive multimedia program centered on the human voice. Voices of Ouzounian’s mother and grandmother weave through Armenian music from Anatolia, songs of Lebanon, and the music of Charles Aznavour, alongside new works exploring memory, heritage, and resilience across generations.
The program spans centuries and cultures, opening and closing with Marin Marais’s Les Voix Humaines. Traditional Armenian songs and early Anatolian recordings appear alongside arrangements of music by Charles Aznavour and Ashot Satyan. Original works by Lembit Beecher are joined by contemporary voices including Layale Chaker, Nathalie Joachim, and Niloufar Nourbakhsh, interwoven with recorded voices from Ouzounian’s family. Blending voice, memory, and music, Mayrig unfolds as a deeply human meditation on identity, inheritance, and the passage of time.