Hayrik Mouradian

Hayrik Mouradian was born in 1905 in the region of Shatakh, near Lake Van. “From childhood, I listened to and loved the songs of our ancestors,” he said. “My mother, Zozan, was a fine singer, as was my aunt Sinam. I learned folk and epic songs, and from another relative, patriotic songs.” But, that world came to a tragic end, and Hayrik, his family, and the Armenians of Shatakh and all of Western Armenia were expelled from their homeland, their hearths, and the place of their old ways. Hayrik was ten years old when they left Shatakh. They reached Salmast, in Iran, and then the deserts of Iraq. Of fifty-four family members, only four survived, including Hayrik, his brother, mother, and an uncle. In 1921, they moved to the Artashat region of Armenia. Hayrik spent his adult life working as a historian and singing the songs he learned as a youth in his beloved Shatakh. The Hayrik Mouradian Traditional Song and Dance Children's Ensemble was founded in 1996 by his student, Hasmik Harutyunyan, who serves as the group’s artistic director. “We lost much in the massacres,” Hayrik said. “My greatest wish is that you, the children, keep this music, something sacred to all of us, alive. These songs tell the stories of our lives, with their struggles, happiness, sadness, feelings, and the history of our nation. The songs will help you grow and become good, intelligent people. I don’t consider our old world lost, as you children will bear the strength of these songs.” Talking to parents and elders, Hayrik said: “Remember, when you are angry with children, they are flowers of nature."