Michael Gulezian

Trinity House Theatre and the Michigan Fingerstyle Guitar Society are joining together to present an evening with Michael Gulezian, Friday April 1, 2005, on the intimate Trinity House Theatre stage.

You may not recognize him by name but Michael Gulezian (gu-LAY-ze-in) is one of the most highly acclaimed solo acoustic instrumental guitarists of our time. He is a phenomenal technical guitarist with the rare ability to transcend his own virtuosity, creating music that moves people.

As a child Michael was exposed to a wide palette of musical styles, from diverse origins. His mother sang Armenian folk songs, and his father (a renowned ethnomusicologist) played ancient Middle Eastern music on the oud. Coming from a home filled with the sounds of different cultures, and spanning many centuries, Michael assimilated everything from the Hindustani raga improvisations of Ravi Shankar, to Gregorian Chant, to the rock of Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones. He developed an insatiable appetite for music, but deep down, the foundation was laid for the duality that informs his music to this day: rock attitude, imbued with a mystical essence. All this was tempered and disciplined by a rigorous program of classical guitar training.

While attending high school in Colorado, Michael discovered the early fingerstyle guitarists of the Mississippi Delta: John Hurt, Bukka White, Blind Blake, Robert Johnson, Leadbelly. Later on his influences ranged to John Fahey, Doc Watson, and Leo Kottke. At every opportunity Gulezian took his guitar out to the fields, rivers, and mountains, lit a campfire, and played deep into the night. At this point he started writing his own songs.

Firmly established as a leading figure in the pantheon of world-class guitarists, Michael has produced his most challenging and ambitious work to date. LANGUAGE OF THE FLAME, quite simply, is a landmark for the genre of instrumental acoustic guitar music. While this recording redefines what is technically possible with two hands and one guitar, Gulezian remains focused on touching the hearts of his audience.

The reviews speak volumes: Jazziz Magazine publisher Michael Fagien describes LANGUAGE OF THE FLAME as “unbelievable ... incredible ... music from another planet.” Grammy award winning producer Richard Adler writes, “Michael Gulezian composes, arranges, and performs some of the most complex and emotional music ever written for solo acoustic guitar.” Music Web Express raves, “With the release of LANGUAGE OF THE FLAME, Gulezian takes his place among the great acoustic guitar innovators of the 20th Century.” And in Acoustic Guitar Magazine, John Diliberto sums it all up: “Fingerstyle fire … Michael Gulezian reignites his muse with Language of the Flame. ... for all his virtuosic ferocity, [he] never loses sight of the melody, or the drama of his compositions. And he can still play sweetly. At this stage in his career, Gulezian doesn’t need to prove he can play, he just needs more people to hear his expansive and original sound."