The Armenian Weekly. NEW YORK, NY—Nvak, a music education non-profit organization dedicated to cultivating young global musical talent, has released an Armenian folk album from its collective of singer-songwriters. The album features five songs written by Father Komitas, the world-renowned Armenian composer, conductor and ethnomusicologist who was most prolific in the early part of the 20th century. He composed, collected and transcribed thousands of songs, both sacred and secular, and toured Europe and the Middle East with huge mixed-gender choirs. Unfortunately, he was captured and tortured by the Turkish government during the Armenian Genocide in 1915. The trauma left him hospitalized in Paris for the remainder of his life. His legacy, however, continues to grow. The selections in this EP are modern arrangements of some of his most beloved tunes, sung by up-and-coming female musicians from Armenia, discovered and supported by the non-profit music label, Nvak.
“I Cannot Come Out And Play” is now live on all streaming platforms. This is the Collective’s second release of 2020—the first being their debut album “Roses (Vartair),” a collection of nine songs written by songwriters from Armenia and Israel.
Nvak was founded in 2016 by artist and social entrepreneur Tamar Kaprelian, a first-generation Armenian-American. After signing to Clive Davis at age 18 and Interscope Records at age 21, Kaprelian recognized an opportunity for more mentorship in the industry and the need for people in positions of power to help young talent grow.
“I founded Nvak in order to be of service to a vibrant, talented population of global musicians with limited opportunities,” said Kaprelian. “Working in Armenia is very personal to me: I traveled to the country for the first time in 2015 after representing them in Eurovision and had a transformative creative experience while there. I wanted to use my platform and voice for a good cause – to help amplify the voices of women and girls.”
Read also
Four years after its inception, Nvak has a growing community of 1,000+ young musicians in Armenia, Malawi and Israel. At its core, Nvak takes a hyper-local approach to teaching collaborative songwriting, music production, and music business.
Annually, each country has a summer or fall intensive lead by A-list producers and songwriters. Collaborators in 2019 included Mike Sabath (Lizzo, Meghan Trainor), Larzz Principato (Dua Lipa), Jeremy “Kinetics” Dussolliett (BoB), Ceci Gomez (Charlie XCX), Max Hershenow (MsMr), as well as local musicians and industry leaders.
Nvak is a 501c3 non-profit organization that discovers and teaches young singers, songwriters and producers around the globe, providing free, year-round, in-person and remote lessons in songwriting and music production. Nvak uses music as a tool for teenagers and young adults to find their voices and amplify their stories beyond their countries’ borders. Nvak is committed to bringing underrepresented stories into mainstream American music, and providing a unique perspective on global culture through the universal language of music.
