Strings of memory: Antranig Kzirian on the oud and Armenian identity

2026-03-15 - 13:54

LOS ANGELES — Antranig Kzirian, an accomplished oud performer, attorney, educator and lifelong community activist, delivered an illuminating lecture at the Crescenta Valley Armenian Community Center on Armenian identity, memory and the enduring place of the oud in Armenian American life. More than a musical instrument, the oud emerged in Kzirian’s lecture as a vessel of cultural memory. Drawing from a paper he wrote for a master’s course at Columbia University, Kzirian shared research that resonated deeply with the Armenian story of displacement, survival and the continual revisiting of home. Born in Watertown, Massachusetts, to Andrew and Madonna Kzirian, he grew up in Philadelphia in a deeply engaged Armenian family. His connection to the oud began early. “When I was a little kid, I would see the oud as a core piece of the ensemble at all of the Armenian events in Philly,” Kzirian told the Weekly. “The Armenians who came from Western Armenia and Asia Minor to the East Coast were from Palu, Arapgir, Sepastia, Malatya, Aintab, Marash and many other places. The oud had become their musical identity.” He explained that while village music traditions often centered instruments such as the saz, jinboush, zurna and dhol, the oud carried a different kind of significance. “The oud was more of an instrument of the court, and Armenians were a huge part of court culture,” he said. “Armenians were composers, artisans, merchants and architects, like the Balians. Music was no exception, with composers such as Tatyos, Sebouh and Serkis.” That history, he noted, became deeply personal in the diaspora. His father’s family came to the U.S. in 1906 from Sepastia, Yozgat and Arapgir. When the Armenian Genocide began, family members returned in an effort to save who and what they could — an effort that was tragically unsuccessful. When they came back to the States for good, they brought the oud with them. “The oud was essentially like a guitar for these immigrants,” Kzirian stated. “For Armenian Americans who had been through horrific social and identity trauma, it became the custodian of their identity.” As a child, he was fascinated by the central place the instrument held in Armenian American communities. “In Armenia, the oud was played, but in the background,” he explained. “But in Armenian American society, the oud was center stage. It reminded immigrants of home, of the old country, of their pain. I would see everyone watching the oud player on stage, and I always wondered, why the oud? I was a young, ambitious musician, and I wanted to learn how to play it. I wanted to receive the torch and pass it down. It felt like a responsibility.” Antranig Kzirian (right) with Oudi Richard Hagopian (left) Kzirian’s family history is deeply woven into Armenian communal life in the United States. His paternal grandfather, born in Camden, grew up during the period when Karekin Der Harutunian, better known as Njdeh, was organizing Armenian youth — work that would later lead to the formation of the Armenian Youth Federation. “He would talk about it all the time,” Kzirian said. “I always felt very close to the AYF because of that.” His father’s family had roots in Sepastia and Philadelphia, attending the old St. Gregory Armenian Church. His father, also born in Philadelphia, later studied at Temple University and UCLA, where he focused on Armenian and Near Eastern history with Richard Hovannisian and participated in efforts to record Armenian Genocide survivors. He went on to become an educator and was involved in an Armenian bilingual program in the Watertown School District, funded during a period of congressional support for such initiatives. By then, he had already met and married Kzirian’s mother at Djemaran (“Lyceum”) in Beirut, Lebanon. Kzirian explained that it was once relatively common for East Coast Armenian families to send their children to Djemaran because Armenian schools in the United States were still limited. When the Watertown program ended, the family moved back to Philadelphia, where Kzirian spent most of his childhood. Click to view slideshow. “When I moved to Los Angeles in 2007, so many educators told me they had gone to observe my dad and the Watertown dual-language program, taking notes and trying to implement similar programs in Southern California school districts,” he recalled. His mother’s side of the family is from Marash. They later grew up in Aleppo, Syria, and his mother attended Haigazian College before meeting his father at Djemaran during what Kzirian described as Beirut’s heyday. “Our family was very Armenian-oriented,” he said. “My dad was in the ARF, my brother and I were in the AYF and my mom was in the ARS.” Kzirian attended Armenian Sisters Academy in Philadelphia, then Northeast High School, followed by the University of Pennsylvania and Villanova Law School. Along the way, he balanced school with work, remained active in Armenian communal life and eventually served as executive director of the Armenian National Committee in Los Angeles. Later, while pursuing a master’s degree at Columbia University, he found an academic framework that deepened his understanding of the oud’s place in Armenian American identity. “The class I took at Columbia strongly resonated with my love of the oud and the Armenian American story,” he said. That period also inspired a major artistic collaboration. Kzirian organized a special oud duet concert with his mentor, Ara Dinkjian, son of Onnik Dinkjian. “It was standing room only,” he said. “The concert was a generational connection, a transfer and it was a great success.” Click to view slideshow. Kzirian studied oud with Ara Dinkjian and has since continued to build on that legacy through performance, mentorship and community engagement. In Los Angeles, he founded the group String Harmonies, inspired in part by his Columbia coursework and his concert with Dinkjian. “Through my music, my passion, my work with students and my collaborations with UCLA, I try to pay it forward,” he said. “I want the next generation to become comfortable with the oud, to make sure it becomes institutionalized and remembered.” He emphasized the instrument’s long and layered history. “The oud has been around for 5,000 years, originating in the region of present-day Iraq and Iran, and it has a rich history among Armenians,” he said. “Over time, it spread very quickly. The microtonal scales were used in the Armenian Church centuries before the Seljuk Turks invaded. That’s an objective fact. We have lost so much, and we shouldn’t lose our music and culture, too.” For Kzirian, the oud’s prominence in diaspora life reflects a larger communal need. “People were starved for Armenian culture in the diaspora,” he explained. Click to view slideshow. That sense of cultural hunger shaped his own path. Kzirian has long been involved in Armenian community life, whether through the AYF, ANC, serving on the altar at St. Gregory Armenian Church in Philadelphia, Camp Big Pines or Camp Haiastan. His parents’ example made that involvement feel natural. “I want my kids to see that it’s important to give back because it makes for a strong community,” he said. Music has been one of the clearest expressions of that commitment. Kzirian was a member of Aravod Ensemble, a group of young Armenian men dedicated to keeping the legacy of Armenian music alive. All the band members shared a connection to Camp Haiastan in Massachusetts, and older, more established musicians helped mentor them. “We played songs by Onnik and John Berberian, as well as Harout Pamboukjian and Paul Baghdadlian,” he remarked. “It helped us realize how diverse the Armenian diaspora was.” Click to view slideshow. The group performed widely, traveling to London, Canada, the West Coast and the Midwest. After moving to Los Angeles, Kzirian joined another band, VIZA, which blended Middle Eastern rock with oud. “When I would go to Armenia with VIZA around 2010, people would tell me that oud music was an underground trend and that recordings were sought after by enthusiasts,” he noted. “They knew about Aravod Ensemble. I was surprised, but also happy to learn there was interest in Armenia in the oud music of Armenian Americans.” During his Feb. 19, 2026 lecture, Kzirian treated the audience to melodies from Sepastia, Kharpert, Arapgir, Malatya and Mush. The performance added emotional depth to the evening, transporting listeners across time and place to the Old Country. Today, Kzirian continues to preserve and revitalize Armenian musical culture through education and performance. Through String Harmonies, he helps young people reconnect with their heritage through the oud. He also continues to perform at cultural events and dances, bringing Armenian folk music to communal spaces. Antranig Kzirian (left) and John Berberian (right) The group performed at Vardavar in 2025, where audiences were drawn in by the music and line dancing. More performances are planned this spring with Tekeyan, KefTime LA and at the AYF Alumni Gala over Memorial Day weekend. Kzirian is also continuing his work as a composer. He is preparing a full-length album of original Armenian oud music in collaboration with the UCLA Armenian Music Program. The album, which will feature all original compositions, is expected to be released in late 2026 or early 2027. The music continues — and in Antranig Kzirian’s hands, so does the torch. For the latest on Antranig Kzirian’s music and upcoming performances, check out his website and follow him on Instagram at @theoudplayer. All photos are courtesy of Antranig Kzirian unless otherwise noted.