Arto Artinian (flute, composition) Brooklyn, NY

Arto Artinian was born in Bulgaria in 1975. He began his musical studies as a young child in the Music School in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. From 1984 to 1988, he studied the flute with Stefan Pashev and Emmanuel Didov, learned Bulgarian folk music, and spent countless hours on ear training. In 1990, he entered the Juilliard School's Pre-College Division, where he practiced the flute with Brad Garner and studied composition with Andrew Thomas. He graduated from the Eastman School of Music in 1997, having earned a degree in music composition under the guidance of Sydney Hodkinson, Augusta Read Thomas, and Christopher Rouse. Artinian continued his musical studies at the University of Illinois, where he focused on computer and experimental music. Currently his music, which is influenced by the work of American avant-garde figures such as John Cage, Morton Feldman, and Miles Davis, is focused on integrating Bulgarian folk playing styles with jazz and free improvisation. Artinian collaborates closely with Harlem-based multi-instrumentalist Adam James Wilson, with whom he has released several compact discs on the Stone Quarry Records label.