For this world premiere performance Armenian tar virtuoso and vocalist Miqayel Voskanyan assembles an internationally renowned quartet with piano, double bass, and percussion. Centred on the tar – a traditional plucked lute – Voskanyan explores Armenian modes in contemporary compositions and improvisations, shaped by profound jazz sensibility, unusual meters, steady grooves, and detailed rhythmic interaction between four masters of their instruments.

Armenian tar player, composer, and vocalist Miqayel Voskanyan repositions ancestral sounds in contemporary contexts. Rooted in ritual traditions and modes, he explores how inherited musical languages can speak meaningfully to the present, beyond folklore or nostalgia, positioning the tar less as a historical instrument, more as a current sonic voice. His compositions often emerge from improvisation, drawing on jazz, progressive global music, and experimental forms, to create music with a fluidity shaped by both place and movement.

Having founded Miqayel Voskanyan & Friends (aka MVF Band) in 2011 Voskanyan has performed in more than 30 countries worldwide, and has worked with artists including Lenny White, Joe Lovano, Randy Brecker, Tigran Hamasyan, Jamie Haddad, Marcus Printup, and Mike Block. In parallel he has composed extensively for film, with recent works including 250 km, a short film reflecting on the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, and Amerikatsi, a feature film centered on the story of an Armenian Genocide survivor, shortlisted for the Academy Awards.

He is joined by master-percussionist Bernhard Schimpelsberger, fresh from recent concerts with Abel Selaocoe; US-based pianist Vardan Ovsepian, and bassist Jasper Hoiby, founder of Phronesis and 3Elements.

This premiere is presented in association with AGBU London and Concerted Artists.

The curation of Songlines Encounters is supported by the 1900 Building

Miqayel Voskanyan

Miqayel Voskanyan is an Armenian tar player, composer and vocalist whose work repositions ancestral sound within contemporary creative music. Rooted in Armenian modal and ritual traditions, he approaches the tar not as a historical artefact but as a contemporary sonic voice, allowing inherited musical languages to speak meaningfully to the present without slipping into folklore or nostalgia. His compositions often emerge from improvisation, where intuition and memory coexist, and where complex rhythmic structures meet lyrical clarity.

He is the founder and long time leader of Miqayel Voskanyan & Friends, Armenia’s leading ethno fusion and alternative jazz ensemble, active since 2011. Voskanyan has performed in more than 30 countries and collaborated with artists including Lenny White, Joe Lovano, Randy Brecker and Tigran Hamasyan. Alongside his work in film composition, including the award winning The Song of Flying Leaves and the Oscar shortlisted Amerikatsi, he premieres a new international quartet at Kings Place in 2026, marking a new chapter in his artistic trajectory.

Vardan Ovsepian

Vardan Ovsepian is an Armenian born pianist and composer whose studies span the Yerevan State Conservatory, Estonian Music Academy, Helsinki Jazz Conservatory and Berklee College of Music. From an early stage, he has explored the intersection of Western classical music and jazz, seeking distinctive hybrid forms through composition and improvisation. This cinematic and narrative approach led to the formation of his chamber ensemble VOCE in 2005.

Alongside this, Ovsepian has developed a highly individual musical language shaped by geometry, chess, minimalism and modern architecture, resulting in two published books, Mirror Exercises and Permutation Studies. His duet project Fractal Limit with Tatiana Parra has received major international recognition, while his collaborations include Mick Goodrick, Peter Erskine and David Binney. He has released over 20 albums as a leader or co leader and is currently based in Los Angeles, where he teaches at CalArts.

Bernhard Schimpelsberger

Austrian percussionist and composer Bernhard Schimpelsberger is a modern catalyst of rhythm, known for translating Indian classical rhythmic systems into a contemporary Western context. He performs on a uniquely layered and melodious drum kit, creating percussive soundscapes that balance virtuosity with colour and surprise. His studies with master drummers Suresh Talwalkar and Trilok Gurtu have been central to the development of his distinctive voice.

Schimpelsberger has collaborated widely, from Anoushka Shankar and Akram Khan to Israel Galván, Yamandu Costa and Abel Selaocoe. His acclaimed audio visual project Rhythm Diaries documents musical encounters across India, Brazil, South Africa and Europe, while his compositions have been performed by ensembles including the Britten Sinfonia and at festivals such as Beethovenfest Bonn.

Jasper Høiby

Bassist, composer and bandleader Jasper Høiby is one of the most influential figures to emerge from the European jazz scene in recent decades. Born in Copenhagen and now based in London, he is best known as the co founder and driving force behind the piano trio Phronesis, whose innovative approach and collective ethos reshaped contemporary jazz performance across Europe and beyond.

Alongside Phronesis, Høiby’s work is defined by exploration and collaboration, with projects including Planet B, Fellow Creatures and a new piano trio. His music combines technical precision with emotional depth and a strong sense of community, reflecting a commitment to collaboration, integrity and continual renewal.

Høiby will be performing at Kings Place on Sat 18 April 26 for the album launch of 3Elements: Conversations of Hope.