2004 Armenian Music Awards
May 22, 2004, The Henry Fonda Theatre, Hollywood, California
Produced by Peter Bahlawanian (AMFA)
Best Male or Band Pop Retro Album
WINNER
Aramo If Only (Yerani) Narek.com Records
Aramo - a master vocal stylist whose versatility has earned him great recognition in Armenia and US. Aramo's remarkable talents are on full display throughout If Only (Yerani), his latest release on the Narek.com label.
This latest collection succeeds his highly regarded 2000 debut, Black & White, which was a duet album with his wife Emma Petrosyan.
Maintaining his practice of recording songs that span many different stylistic genres, Aramo's new release offers Armenian folk tunes with urban-flavored grooves, soulful ballads, and jazz-inspired improvisations.
NOMINEES:
- Aramo If Only (Yerani) Narek.com Records
- Vicken Tarpinian Genats: Une Selection Des Chansons Indy
- Cascade Folk Trio Old Street Bandaz Records
- Andre It's Me Chaterian World Music
Best Female Pop Retro Album
WINNER
Anush & Inga Arshakyan Menk Enk Ays Sarere Saaz Productions
Arshakyan sisters' debut release after their successful series of concerts with The Theater of Song of Armenia tour in Glendale, California.
NOMINEES:
- Hermine Toomanian Self-titled Pe-Ko Records
- Gayane Serobian Ays Gisher Parseghian Records
- Anush & Inga Arshakyan Menk Enk Ays Sarere Saaz Productions
- Alla Levonyan Gnam Hasnem Indy
- Varduhi Vardanyan Disarray Narek.com Records
Best Popular Album
WINNER
Nune Yesayan Me... Prime Entertainment
It is not just the timbre of Nune Yesayan's voice. Her assured phrasing and precise time are more often found in older singers as well, but she is instantly recognizable without sounding like anyone but herself.
NOMINEES: Aram Asatryan Du Ashkhar Yekar Star Records Silvi Karapneri Taguhi Parseghian Records Edvin Tariner Heto Arm Melody Nune Yesayan Me... Prime Entertainment Armen Gone Gone Cinemaven Production
Best Modern Contemporary Album
WINNER Michael Poghosian The Same City Parseghian Records
Collection of songs dedicated to Yerevan.
NOMINEES: Arsen Safaryan You Went By Narek.com Records Michael Poghosian The Same City Parseghian Records Hayko Again Parseghian Records Anna Armenakian Black Cat Pe-Ko Records Kristine Pepelyan Vor Hishes Mero Entertainment
Best Original Contemporary Album The Stepan Lousikian Award
WINNER Shushan Petrosyan Depi Yerkir Narek.com Records
Perfectly balanced repertoire combined with brilliant musical performance give Shushan the power to allure and capture listeners on her own terms...
NOMINEES: Shushan Petrosyan Depi Yerkir Narek.com Records Margarita & Vladimir Barkhoian Sern E Mer Areve Hayrenik Ahha Enterprises Anahit Manukyan Yes Ko Zavakn Em, Hayastan Parseghian Records Arsen Grigoryan Batsir Achkerd Saaz Productions Ellada Verch... Pe-Ko Records
Best Urban Pop Album
WINNER Ashot Azarian Kez Pahem Achkeris Mej Arm Melody
NOMINEES: Ashot Azarian Kez Pahem Achkeris Mej Arm Melody Rouben Hakhverdian Inch Imanayi Chaterian World Music Garo Gaboudagian Chisht E... Skhalvel Em Pe-Ko Records Freddy Ays Gisher Indy Ella Tarunts Self-titled Benefice, Inc.
Best Folk Ensemble Album
WINNER The Shoghaken Ensemble Armenia Anthology Traditional Crossroads An exploration of the rich tradition of Armenian folk music forged in the long historical shadow of Mt. Ararat - from Anatolia wedding dance to Transcaucasian lullaby, pagan ritual melody to bardic love song. The Shoghaken Ensemble is Armenia's preeminent group performing this music today, playing on traditional instruments in a lyrical style that captures the haunting beauty of one of the world's oldest musical legacies.
NOMINEES: The Shoghaken Ensemble Armenia Anthology Traditional Crossroads Chookasian Armenian Concert Ensemble Artsagankner 7/8 Music Productions Arev Armenian Folk Ensemble Arev Indy Khachatur Avetisyan In Memoriam: Vol.2 Narek.com Records Dance Ensemble of Armenia Self-titled Parseghian Records
Best Alternative Folk Album
WINNER Vahan Artsruni Komitas- Ten Revelations Narekatsi Art Institute
NOMINEES: Vahan Artsruni Komitas- Ten Revelations Narekatsi Art Institute Bambir 1700 Anniversary Indy Gor Mkhitarian Godfather Tom Pomegranate Music
Best Contemporary Folk Album
WINNER Lilit Pipoyan One Day of the City Indy Alchemists were looking in vain for the way of transforming earth into gold. Listening to Lilit Pipoyan, one has the feeling that she has found the secret. Being all sad like earth, her songs are all radiant like gold and like sun. The radiance of her songs emanates from the sadness. It is like joy that emanates from everything when you are in love.
NOMINEES: Vahe Someday I Will Return Somewhere Narek.com Records Armen Movsisyan Crazy Song Indy Lilit Pipoyan One Day of the City Indy
Best Vocal Traditional Album
WINNER Hrant & Gayane Hrant + Gayane Parseghian Records
First time ever! Armenian black teens on a set of Armenian songs.
NOMINEES: Hermine Amiryan Gusanakan Goharner Arm Melody Hovhannes Babakhanyan Kele-Kele Ara Music Land Tovmas Poghosyan Siro Aghotk Indy Hrant & Gayane Hrant + Gayane Parseghian Records Razmik Baghdasaryan Mer Yerge Chaterian World Music
Best Male Vocalist
WINNER Ashot Azarian Kez Pahem Achkeris Mej Arm Melody
NOMINEES: Ashot Azarian Kez Pahem Achkeris Mej Arm Melody Aramo If Only (Yerani) Narek.com Records Hayko Again Parseghian Records Arsen Grigoryan Batsir Achkerd Saaz Productions Arsen Safaryan You Went By Narek.com Records
Best Female Vocalist
WINNER Shushan Petrosyan Depi Yerkir Narek.com Records
Perfectly balanced repertoire combined with brilliant musical performance give Shushan the power to allure and capture listeners on her own terms...
NOMINEES: Nune Yesayan Me... Prime Entertainment Shushan Petrosyan Depi Yerkir Narek.com Records Alla Levonyan Gnam Hasnem Indy Varduhi Vardanyan Disarray Narek.com Records Anahit Manukyan Yes Ko Zavakn Em, Hayastan Parseghian Records
Best Newcomer
WINNER Elin Avanesian Armenian Classic Romance Pe-Ko Records
NOMINEES: Arev Armenian Folk Ensemble Arev Indy Margarita & Vladimir Barkhoian Sern E Mer Areve Hayrenik Ahha Enterprises Anush & Inga Arshakyan Menk Enk Ays Sarere Saaz Productions Duo Maestoso Aram Khachaturian Maestoso Productions Elin Avanesian Armenian Classic Romance Pe-Ko Records
Best Album Cover & Design
WINNER Vahan Artsruni Komitas- Ten Revelations Narekatsi Art Institute
NOMINEES: Vahan Artsruni Komitas- Ten Revelations Narekatsi Art Institute Gor Mkhitarian Godfather Tom Pomegranate Music Khachatur Avetisyan In Memoriam: Vol.2 Narek.com Records Anna Armenakian Black Cat Pe-Ko Records Vache Sharafyan On the Fortieth Day Traditional Crossroads
Best Classical Album
WINNER Kim Kashkashian Hayren ECM Records According to composer/performer Tigran Mansurian, Hayren, the title given to this collection, is "the poetical style most beloved by Armenians, which has a tradition of centuries. It is dense with the phonetics and intonation of our language, and the Armenian landscape and aspects of Armenian world-view and sentiment are also present." Both Mansurian and Kim Kashkashian are Armenian, as was Komitas (1869-1935), a composer and ethnomusicologist who tirelessly preserved and disseminated Armenian musical culture until 1919, when he suffered a mental breakdown – probably as a consequence, at least in part, of the genocide of the Armenian people.
NOMINEES: Vache Sharafyan On the Fortieth Day Traditional Crossroads Duo Maestoso Aram Khachaturian Maestoso Productions Kim Kashkashian Hayren ECM Records Anoush Khachoyan Contemplations by the C's Indy Amarus String Quartet Touch the Soul Indy
Best Choir / Chorus Album
WINNER Hover Chamber Choir of Armenia Six Fables Pomegranate Music In 2002, Hover performed the premiere of Choral Mystery, a work based on the fables of the Armenian Renaissance fabulist and monk Vardan Aigektsi (1170-1235). The fables were adopted for the stage by Yuri Sahakyan, set to music especially for Hover by Stepan Babatorosyan and performed under the direction of Mikayel Vatinyan and Arthur Manukyan at the Io Theatre. This unique, theatrical choral work represents a new synthesis of contemporary art forms. Like Babatorosyan's other works, Choral Mystery boldly deploys vocal, instrumental and dramatic forces on the broad canvas of the contemporary stage. The mystery unfolds in a cycle of lyrical images woven into an epic narrative of tragic and satirical characters, drawing upon the rich storehouse of Armenian folk traditions and musical art.
NOMINEES: Speghani Youth Choir Self-titled Indy Hover Chamber Choir of Armenia Six Fables Pomegranate Music Shoghakn Chorus Tsar Kenats Indy
Best Dance Album
WINNER Sako Echo Me Productions
Sako with his newest album is bound to thrill fans once again with these amazing collection of songs and a whole new arrangements of sounds. The album is a compilation of upbeat and melodic tunes.
NOMINEES: Sako Echo Me Productions Olga Ayvazyan Kanchum Em Kez Parseghian Records Armine Nahapetyan Andzrev Parseghian Records Lina Take Me Away Narek.com Records
Best Songwriter's Album Performed by Others
WINNER Krist Manaryan The Starry Night Songbook Narek.com Records His songs are known and loved by many. His name is mostly unknown. Krist Manaryan's songbook is essential addition to any Armenian pop music collection. Fifteen tracks feature stars of the Armenian contemporary vocal: Michael Poghosian, Zaruhi Babayan, Shushan Petrosyan, Gohar Gevorgian, Aramo, Emma Petrosian, Tigran Petrosyan, Arthur Ispirian, Naira Ter-Karapetyan, Alya Sedrakyan, Silvi, Anna Armenakyan. The New Year (Amanor) is a group song performed by Arthur Ispirian, Alla Levonyan, Anna Armenakyan, Suzan Markaryan, Hayko, Ashot Ghazarian, Radik Gabrielian, Hasmik Karapetian, Sirusho, Varduhi Vardanyan (Tutush), Emmy, Nadejda Sargsyan. The Artist's Song duet is dedicated to Khoren Abrahamyan and performed by Arthur Ispirian and Khoren Abrahamyan. Get yourself into a true Yerevanian mood.
NOMINEES: Souren Kniazian Love Songs Parseghian Records Marine Ales Shushan Sings Marine Ales: Reflections Narek.com Records Krist Manaryan The Starry Night Songbook Narek.com Records Marine Gyulumian Song is My Love Parseghian Records
Best Classical Vocal Album The Arpine Pehlivanian Award
WINNER Anna Malian Armenia Indy
NOMINEES: Hilda Avanesian Songs Dear to My Heart Pe-Ko Records Anna Malian Armenia Indy Elin Avanesian Armenian Classic Romance Pe-Ko Records
Best International Album
WINNER Andy Platinum Cherokee
Andy strikes back with Platinum, featuring two songs from motion picture House of Sand & Fog.
NOMINEES: Zhanna Limonchiki Benefice, Inc. Andy Platinum Cherokee Mister X Your Eyes Parseghian Records Karnig International Indy Mister X Live in Concert Mero Entertainment
Best Modern Instrumental Album
WINNER Hovik Hovhannisyan Sweet Cello by Hovik Ahha Enterprises
NOMINEES: Karo Sarafian Short Stories Eye Records Sarkis Canciones Y Danzas De America Latina Indy Giro Saxy Fantasies Pe-Ko Records Hovik Hovhannisyan Sweet Cello by Hovik Ahha Enterprises Doug Shimmin Zamperla American Recording Productions
Best Children's Album
WINNER Alexan Menakian Children's Songs Indy Pursuing its mission of discovering, collecting, recording, publishing, and disseminating Armenian music, the Hamazkayin Music Committee has published several CDs. Its latest project, a series of CDs of children’s songs, begins with this release. The songs are interpreted by professionally trained Tatev Children’s Choir of Armenia and conducted by Artistic Director Vachagan Navassardian. Thus, Alexan Menakian, whose works are featured on the present CD, has composed children’s songs, taught children to sing, and directed children’s choirs.
NOMINEES: Alexan Menakian Children's Songs Indy Taline Ourakh Or Taline Productions Various Patilner: Children's Songs Parseghian Records Hermine Toomanian Children's Songs Vol. 2 Indy Nvair and Friends Donadzar Indy Avedis Nazarian Children's Songs Indy
Best Traditional Instrumental Album
WINNER Rouben Haroutunian Ziranapogh: Armenian Duduk Garni Records
Haroutunian's first solo effort. The present album is a departure from the "Winds of Passion" model.
NOMINEES: Jivan Gasparian Trio Horovel Parseghian Records Norair Davtyan Kamancha - Favorite Melodies Narek.com Records Rouben Haroutunian Ziranapogh: Armenian Duduk Garni Records Yeghish Manoukian Illumination American Recording Productions Antranig Kzarian & Barrett Yeritsian History: Vol.1 Indy
Best Concert Video
WINNER Nune Yesayan NY for NY Prime Entertainment Unprecedented. "This was the world that echoed around the globe" as Armenians described Nune Yesayan's musical stage production NY for NY. Armenian and the Armenian Diaspora had not seen a show as grand, as complex, as colorful and as entertaining as Nune's two concerts at the Hamalir Stadium in Yerevan, Armenia, on May 24 and 25 of 2002. Weaving through Nune's repertoire of Armenian folk songs is the story of a modern-day heroine - a woman forced to take up arms when barbarous enemies attack her people and threaten their freedom. Surrounded by more than 150 actors, dancers and singers, Nune and Armenia's most talented performers create a world of magic, music, dance and drama. Also included Nune's best music videos.
NOMINEES: Sako In Concert at the Alex Theater Me Productions Aram Asatryan Aram Asatryan & Friends: 50 Golden Years Star Records Nune Yesayan NY for NY Prime Entertainment Theatre of Song of Armenia Sounds of Armenia Saaz Productions Tata Live Parseghian Records
Best Music Video
WINNER (Tie) Ser Im Yeraz Kristina Pepelyan Dir: Martin Mirzoyan Gone Gone Armen Dir: Levon Kosoyan
NOMINEES: Ser Im Yeraz Kristina Pepelyan Dir: Martin Mirzoyan Hayrenikis Anna Armenakian Dir: Arthur Vartanyan First of All Goga Dir: David Sahakyan Gone Gone Armen Dir: Levon Kosoyan Louysabak Tigran Asatryan Dir: Hrant Movsesyan
Best Rock Album
WINNER he Unknown Project Self-titled Indy
NOMINEES: DeToxx Self-titled Me Productions Red Snow Showtime Motel Indy The Unknown Project Self-titled Indy Beat & Path Self-titled Indy Best Original Song WINNER Aramo If Only from the album If Only (Yerani) M&L: Stepan Lousikian
NOMINEES Nune Dzyan Yerge from the album Me... M&L: Edgar Gyanjumyan Aramo If Only from the album If Only (Yerani) M&L: Stepan Lousikian Anahit Manukyan Yerevan from the album Yes Ko Zavakn Em, Hayastan M&L: Robert Amirkhanyan Shushan Petrosyan With the Wings of Dream from the album Shushan Sings Marine Ales: Reflections M&L: Marine Ales Arsen Grigoryan Apri Misht Parz from the album Batsir Achkerd M&L: Arsen Grigoryan