Canadian-Armenian soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian will be performing Ancestral Songs, Prayers, and Lullabies in Toronto

Canadian-Armenian soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian will be performing a program titled Ancestral Songs, Prayers, and Lullabies at Toronto’s Koerner Hall on November 22. The music includes Marian chants as well as Armenian folk songs and lullabies.

She’ll be joined by Ellie Choate (harp), Rayo A Furuta (flute), and Mher Mnatsakanyan (duduk), with live drawing by Kevork Mourad. Mourad has performed with artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Kim Kashkashian, and the Los Angeles Master Chorale, among others.

It’s a program that has been years in the making, and a project that combines music, history, and cultural preservation.

From the collected songs by Mihran Toumajan (1890-1973), arr. John Hodian, with Video and Visual Art: Kevork Mourad, performed by Isabel Bayrakdarian, Soprano, Ellie Choate, Harp, Ruben Harutyunyan, Duduk,

The program for Bayrakdarian’s concert stems from her 2021 album Armenian Songs for Children.