Reviews
I have performed with Mariam Matossian on several occasions and find her to be a truly gifted singer who sings from her heart and inevitably captures her audience. She is one of those rare artists that is able to demonstrate her professional talents while keeping an intimate rapport with her audience.
John Berberian, master oud player
And, like an ascending angel, came the clear soprano voice of Mariam Matossian, giving voice to Armenia, her ancestral home.
Barb Brouwer, Salmon Arm Observer: August 19, 2008
Matossian sings…with a voice that’s brimming with emotional resonance, clean and unforced. Her spare arrangements draw out the essence of the beautiful melodies…In the Light, her recently released second album, is…impressive…
Tony Montague, Penguin Eggs: Spring 2008
Mariam Matossian has challenged the established forms of how an Armenian woman should present our traditional songs in today’s modern music. Both of her albums, Far From Home and In the Light are not only the next chapter in Armenian music, but also a brave statement to Western listeners who are seeking pure, quality music. An angelic voice and great production by producer Adam Popowitz - what else could you ask for?
Gor Mkhitarian, Singer, Songwriter, Guitarist
With her velvety soft voice, Mariam Matossian really moves us. Through her songs, treasures from Armenia, her ancestors land, we are wonderfully carried away.
Avec sa voix de velours, Mariam Matossian sait nous émouvoir. Par ses chansons, elle fait revivre les trésors de l’Arménie, pays de ses ancêtres, où nous sommes merveilleusement transportés.
Claire Chainey, Radio Host and Producer, Musique Autour du Monde, Saguenay Region, Quebec
I am sitting here listening to Mariam Matossian sing a traditional Armenian song and I feel like I am transported. Her voice is beautiful and clear, and her connection to the song and the tradition from which it comes is evident somehow in her voice and her loving treatment of the music. I know from talking to her that these are songs that she’s heard all her life, from her mother, they are part of the fabric of her being and are a vital connection to her heritage. That deep connection is powerfully present as she sings. I don’t know the words but I feel the emotions.
Sheryl MacKay, Host, CBC Radio’s North by Northwest
Mariam’s singing shifts you out of the ordinary and into a realm of pure experience. There’s a kind of “ear cleaning” that happens. Sounds, words, gestures become more vivid than you remember. She and her excellent band have found a unique vibe that sets them apart from much of the other fusiony stuff happening out there.
Michael Juk, Producer, CBC Radio
…[In the Light]…is a first-class recording from start to finish, [with] excellent choices for airplay…
CBC Radio
Beautiful music can overcome the boundaries of race, religion, culture. Mariam’s music comes into the soul and serves to heal and remind us of what we must not forget: we are all bound together in this world and what happens to one of us, happens to us all. I had the joy of hearing Mariam perform at a fundraiser for Genocide Awareness in April in Portland Oregon. Her message of remembrance and peace is beautiful and healing. Her music is unforgettable. Her voice and spirit are what transform this music into a language all its own.
Victoria Trabosh, President, Itafari Foundation
I have yet to see someone perform with the same passion and intensity as Mariam Matossian. Her performance was an offering to us, a woven gift of song that allowed the audience to escape into stories of the past, the moment of the present, and the potential of the future. Her music presented a mosaic of culture, history, wisdom and hope, painting a musical landscape with every perfect and precise note. She has an amazing voice that was at once haunting, emotional, airy and hopeful. Her stories and songs were inspirational and passionate. As part of Genocide Awareness Week, Mariam’s concert brought a hopeful and transformative perspective to the week of events and reminded us of the importance of forgiveness, remembrance, connection, and the power of song. After the performance someone said to me, “Judging by her voice, I believe it must have been the Armenians who taught the angels to sing.”
Sarah Stark, Founder, Genocide Awareness Week, Oregon
Captivating. At the top of the show Matossian walked out onto the stage, lit with only one spotlight, and began singing an Armenian lullaby. Her unaccompanied voice soared through the theatre, blanketing the spellbound audience. Rarely have I heard simplicity and sincerity used so expertly to create such a tremendous impact. After that, the audience was hers, and she did not disappoint her new fans.
Paul Gravett Executive Director, Kay Meek Centre
Mariam’s beautiful voice carries the devastation of the past toward the hope for a future for all peoples in such compelling tones. And through each song, she carries the hearts of each listener closer to that hope.
Sherry Harbert Amnesty International Portland Group 48 Coordinator
Matossian…celebrates her heritage with a voice that is dark, rich, passionate and compelling.
Gulf Islands Driftwood Newspaper
Rarely offered is the opportunity to listen to such an elegant voice charged with emotion. Behind this romantic and sensual voice is hidden, barely veiled, the history of a nation. Outstanding pronunciation, sublime music, superb tone of voice – the high notes of traditional Armenian culture simply to be discovered.
BC Jazz Magazine
The first was a set with an Armenian singer Mariam Matossian with Gord playing the oud…Mariam is actually a Canadian born vocalist but she comes from an Armenian background and has learned many of the traditional folk songs. She sings in a high clear voice and she tells little stories to the audience, which describe what each of the songs are about. Mariam is just lovely to watch and listen to on stage. She is absolutely natural and elegant and I enjoyed every minute of her singing. She and Gord make a wonderful duo team performing this haunting music.
In the words of renowned Canadian Jazz Vocalist, Karin Plato
…a very clear, measured and ultimately sweet innocent style that captures the listener from her first breath… the eclectically acoustic based folk band is in full swing with Matossian’s supremely focused approach. At times, Matossian’s voice seems as though it is as light as air…
Raffi Meneshian, CEO Pomegranate Music
Mariam Matossian has a beautiful voice and the original, clever arrangements set off her voice perfectly…enchanting, professional and haunting vocal style.
