Aram Bajakian
The music of guitarist and composer Aram Bajakian music has been called “a masterpiece” (fRoots, July 2017), “shape-shifting” (FreeJazzCollective, January 2017), and “sometimes delicate, sometimes punishing” (Chicago Reader, January 2018). As a guitarist, “the virtuosic jack of all trades” (Village Voice, May 2015) has toured extensively with Lou Reed, Madeleine Peyroux, John Zorn and Diana Krall, performing at many of the world’s greatest venues, including Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, the Acropolis, L’Olympia, as well as the Montreaux, Newport, Monterey and Antibes jazz festivals, among others. From 2018-2021 Bajakian served as the New Music Curator at Western Front in Vancouver, one of Canada’s leading artist-run centers for contemporary art and new music. During his tenure at Western Front Bajakian curated work with artists such as Darius Jones, Tiffany Ayaluk, Jen Shyu, Ian William Craig, Yu Su, Raven Chacon and others.
Bajakian received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where he studied with Dr. Yusef Lateef. He holds a Master of Arts Degree in Music Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and a Master of Music degree in Music Composition from the University of British Columbia. He is currently a PhD student in Ethnomusicology at the University of British Columbia, where his advisor is Dr. Nathan Hesselink. Bajakian’s research focuses on the role of music in contemporary and historic Armenian communities.
