Lilit Tonoyan & Ensemble Lignum Vitae

Ensemble Lignum Vitae — “tree of life” in Armenian, Կենաց ծառ — brings together Armenian folk songs, dance melodies and the poetic songs of the gusans in sensitive instrumental arrangements. After her work with Armenian sacred music, violinist Lilit Tonoyan now focuses on secular Armenian music. The repertoire includes melodies from many regions of historical Armenia.

Tonoyan performs her own carefully crafted arrangements of traditional folk material with cellist Davit Melkonyan, duduk player André Meisner, percussionist Giuseppe Mautone and double bassist Jonas Dunkel. The combination of the duduk’s non-equal temperament, the warm sound of gut-stringed instruments and the singing resonance of the Irish frame drum bodhrán creates an unusual sound world between different musical traditions.