Qarabagh Ensemble was formed by Agil Suleymanov as a student at the National Conservatory, the center for the study of Mugham in Azerbaijan. Beginning their formal study of music as young children, the band members are now instructors and senior students of the traditional music of their country. The group is composed of Agil Suleymanov, vocals; Elvin Novruzov, kamancha; Rustam Muslumov, tar; and Elnur Aliyev, naghara.
Aqil began study at the Bulbul Music School in 2005. Fahruz Sakhavat, the Honorary Artist of Azerbaijan, was his teacher. After finishing the school in 2011, he entered the National Conservatory of Azerbaijan, his instructor Sakina Ismayilova, the National Artist of Azerbaijan. He has been studying Mugham since age 9.
For Aqil his music is his path to the light. When the band Qarabagh Ensemble began to play together they felt a shared release, a positive sense of hope. It is a music of healing, of trust...
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Qarabagh Ensemble was formed by Agil Suleymanov as a student at the National Conservatory, the center for the study of Mugham in Azerbaijan. Beginning their formal study of music as young children, the band members are now instructors and senior students of the traditional music of their country. The group is composed of Agil Suleymanov, vocals; Elvin Novruzov, kamancha; Rustam Muslumov, tar; and Elnur Aliyev, naghara.
Aqil began study at the Bulbul Music School in 2005. Fahruz Sakhavat, the Honorary Artist of Azerbaijan, was his teacher. After finishing the school in 2011, he entered the National Conservatory of Azerbaijan, his instructor Sakina Ismayilova, the National Artist of Azerbaijan. He has been studying Mugham since age 9.
For Aqil his music is his path to the light. When the band Qarabagh Ensemble began to play together they felt a shared release, a positive sense of hope. It is a music of healing, of trust, of love. They want to share this energy in their music. Practicing daily to perfect their art, they are on a journey, still in the process of learning the heart and soul of their homeland through their art.
Elvin has studied for many years the music of Azerbaijan throughout his youth, graduating from the National Conservatory. He is an instructor now, and has toured performing his music, participating in state concerts in Italy, France, Austria, Russia, Turkey, Georgia, and Tajikistan.
Rustam comes from a musical family, his father a famous traditional musician in Azerbaijan. He attended and graduated from Asaf Zeynalli Music College and the National Conservatory and is now working as a teacher. He has performed in Iran, Turkey, Italy, France, and Moscow.
Elnur studied the naghara at the Bulbul Music School and the Soltan Hajibeyov Music College. He has performed in Turkey, Belarus, Minsk, and Moscow. He now teaches at the Children's Art School in the Gobu settlement.
Qarabagh Ensemble was selected and video recorded in 2013 by Vincent Moon for his feature film"Azerbaijan, l’École du Vent" (2015). The audio recording of their performance in the Park Bulvar along the Caspian Sea was included in the album,"AZƏRBAYCAN SƏSLƏRI -The Sounds of AZERBAIJAN"˜Petites Planètes, 2013.
The band has performed at academic events, traditional celebrations, and on TV and radio broadcasts in Azerbaijan.
The band created and presented a series of live performance broadcasts on national media over Azad Azerbaijan TV (ATV) and 106.3 FM Radio in the summer of 2014.
In February and March of 2014, the band traveled to the US, performing and recording in Austin Texas. They participated at the University of Texas in classes and in sharing their music. They met with students at the Moody School of Communications and the Butler School of Music at the University, demonstrating Azerbaijani traditional music and their special merging of mugham music with rock, joined by the Azerbaijani rock band 5.59. Their music was presented on public radio in Austin and they were introduced and interviewed by John Aielli on KUTX radio show"Eklektikos". They performed at the Deutsches Haus COOP in Austin, the Texas Union, and on March 17 as a guest artist in "Tradition and Innovation: Two worlds of Azerbaijani music" at the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas.
In 2015 the band was invited to perform at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas. They were selected by National Public Radio (NPR) for "The Austin 100"- the top 100 bands to discover at SXSW 2015. The Austin Chronicle review of their performance proclaims,
"Once Suleymanov added his clear tenor, the mesmerizing modality of the songs took on a transcendental aura. Most there didn’t understand the language, but that proved immaterial given the obvious joy inherent in the material. Such clear communication earned the band not only the rapt attention, but an encore."
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