People’s and Honored Artist of the Republic of Armenia, Laureate of the international competitions, Winner of the Gold Medal of the Great International Encyclopedia, Professor of the Yerevan State Conservatory named after Komitas and the Yerevan State Pedagogical University, talented and unique musician, multi-profile art worker, whose performing art is well known in many countries of the world, where she represented the Armenian kanoon (kanon) and Armenia at a high level.
Kanon player Hasmik Leyloyan is widely internationally recognized and is included in the encyclopedias published in more than 21 countries around the world.
The talented art critic made a huge contribution to the development of the performing expressive means, technical capabilities, as well as to the recognition and approval
of the Armenian kanoon on the global stage.
Hasmik Leyloyan is an innovator of the classical school of the Armenian kanoon not only in the new performing technique created by her, but she also laid the
foundation of concerts consisting of two parts in the history of the performing art of the kanoon (the frst solo concert took place in 1974). The result of the qanon player’s
innovative and unique thinking is the transcriptions and adaptations of classical works that she carried out, their excellent and incomparable performance. Performances
that unveil the wide capacities of the instrument (“Gypsy Chants”, “Habanera” by Sarasate, “Hungarian Rhapsody” No. 2 by Liszt, “Legend” by Albeniz, “Introduction
and Rondo Capriccioso” by Saint-Saens, Waltz No. 7 by Chopin, “ Carnival of Venice “ by Paganini and many other classical transcriptions).
The artist, who has passed fruitful and eventful creative path, is fluent in both virtuoso and expressive techniques of the kanoon, brilliantly performing folk, sacred
and classical complex opuses, for which she was nicknamed the Queen of kanoon at international stages.
She was born in Yerevan in a working class family. Hasmik Leyloyan graduated from the Yerevan State Conservatory named after Komitas, in the class of the HonoredArt Worker, famous composer, professor KhachaturAvetisyan. H. Leyloyan is the frst graduate of the Department of Folk Instruments, after which she immediately
began to work at the Conservatory as a kanoon teacher.
Since the 70’s Hasmik Leyloyan has been engaged in a teeming concert and teaching activity. For many years she was the only solo qanon player of the Armenian
State Philharmonic Society and Moscow “Soyuzconcert”. Has performed with the Moscow State Philharmonic Orchestra of Folk Instruments named by Osipov, with
the symphony orchestras of Tunisia, Toronto, Marseille, Lyon, Sydney, Beirut, Cordoba, Karaganda, Buenos Aires, etc. Since 1991 for many years, H. Leyloyan has
been collaborating with the talented world famous musician, composerAra Gevorgyan, as well as with famous and popular musicians ofArmenia and other nationalities:
Jivan Gasparyan, Hiba Al Kawas, Pedro Yustash, Amina Serarf, David Kucherman, Nadishana, Wadih El Saf, Rocio Marquez, Lotf Bouchnak, Ma Xio Ui and others.
Hasmik Leyloyan has toured in more than 60 countries around the world.
Written references to the ARMENIAN KANOON are found in the books of the Armenian historians of the 5th century. The kanoon is considered as an eastern
instrument, which is widespread in Armenia, in all Arab countries, Turkey, Iran, Greece, etc. However, the Armenian kanoon is tempered and differs from the kanoons
of other countries by its manner of performance, tonal system and sound.
Hasmik Leyloyan has a lot of stock records on radio and television of Armenia, tens of CDs: “Song of your soul”, “Awakening”, “Around the world”, “Collage”,
“Nostalgia”, “Fly, my heart!”, as well as «Golden Sounds», «Return», DVD, etc.
Her performances are produced by world renowned recording studios. She is the author of the numerous collections and manuals for the kanoon, such as “Selected
Opuses”, “Transcriptions for the Kanoon”, “Concert Pieces for the Kanoon”, “Song of Your Soul”, “Favorite Melodies”, the textbook on the development of performing
techniques and new methods of performing on the kanoon, two-part textbook “Armenian school of the kanoon”, which also presents the learning of the instrument.
During many years of her pedagogical activity, Hasmik Leyloyan has brought up several generations of the musicians not only fromArmenia, but also from various
foreign countries. Over the course of decades she has been conducting the master classes for teachers and students of various educational institutions. With her professional methodological advice she helps them to master the pedagogical and performing peculiarities and secrets of the instrument. She cooperates with the methodological ofce of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Armenia, on the basis of which she has created the new curriculum and methodological instructions for the kanoon.
H.Leyloyan is often invited to the international competitions as a member of the jury, both in Armenia and foreign countries. Her concert and educational programs are distinguished by their multi-genre nature: from Armenian
sacred music to Armenian folk, modern, world classical and jazz performances.
In 2014, People’s and Honored Artist of the Republic of Armenia, Professor Hasmik Leyloyan with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Armenia organized the international festival “Silk Road” Musical Dialogue for
the frst time in Armenia. Famous and favorite performers of folk instruments from 12 countries were invited. In 2017 she founded the ensemble of qanon players “Zvartnots”, the ensemble of talented children “Treasures of
Armenia”, the chamber ensemble “Kamerton”, etc.
Hasmik Leyloyan has been awarded numerous state awards, titles, diplomas, certifcates, commendations in Armenia and abroad. In the United Arab Emirates she was awarded by the Sheikh Mohammad bin Zahid Al-Nahyan Medal, the Gold Medal of the Yerevan Municipality, Special Prizes of the Ministry of Culture of Bahrain, of the Ministry of Culture of Syria, etc.
In the 80-90s H.Leyloyan created a new kanoon with a chromatic system. The mandalas were removed (with the help of which semitones are reproduced), that prevent the mastery of the technique. The famous Armenian
kanoon master Apres Vanoyan has already made the frst instrument, which will gradually enter the musical arena and would be called the Armenian kanoon of the 21st century. The contribution of the innovator of the Armenian
performing school of the kanoon Hasmik Leyloyan in the teaching and dissemination of the Armenian folk instrument kanoon is invaluable.
Member of the Union of Composers of Armenia,
Member of the Union of Journalists of Armenia
Musicologist Susanna Hovhannisyan