Zulal Armenian A Cappella Folk Trio

In Armenian, Zulal means “clear water.” Zulal, the a cappella trio, aims to create music that is like clear water—-fluid, clean, and unconfined. The group takes Armenia’s village folk melodies and weaves intricate arrangements that pay tribute to the rural roots of the music while introducing a sophisticated lyricism and energy. Pastoral images that hint at a nation’s loss, nostalgia, hope, and pride infuse their arrangements. A soaring crane catching a glimpse of village beauties flirting at the market below, a shepherd boy cradling a milkmaid, secret messages placed upon the western winds —these are reminders of a simpler past, tokens of comfort in the complex, modern world.

Zulal’s singers, Teni Apelian, Yeraz Markarian and Anaïs Tekerian have been singing together since 2002. The trio has performed in such esteemed venues as the Getty Museum, Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall, The Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage, New York's Symphony Space and Boston's Berklee School of Music, along with performances for Cirque du Soleil, the Near East Foundation and the Silk Road Project. Additionally, the trio has scored the film Stone Touch Time and has two critically acclaimed albums to its credit.