Ruben Kniasian

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1962, Ruben Kniasian grew up with traditional Armenian music, playing duduk and shevi. He was motivated by his father, who was born in Armenia and played beloul, another Armenian wind instrument that was widely used by shepherds at the time but has nearly disappeared today.

At the age of 25, Ruben Kniasian decided to go to Armenia to specialize in the duduk. He studied under Araïk Bakhtikian and Ilya Minassian for the shevi. After three years, he returned to Argentina, where he and his brother dedicated themselves to writing scientific
articles on the history of traditional Armenian instruments.

Due to the economic situation, he left Argentina and settled in France, where he began teaching duduk and shevi after the death of his teacher. He is now part of a trio Ensemble Yerevan, where he plays the Dam, a continuous drone technique. As the new school year
approaches, he is preparing to welcome new students, as the duduk is gaining more visibility on screen thanks to duduk master Djivan Gasparian.