So another year has flown by, almost behind us, and with comes another year of a pandemic. It is a bit surreal now to thing that we have been in a global pandemic for two years. It also seems that the most used phrase around has been …

“When did that happen? COVID has fogged my memory as to when certain events happened!”

Seems like I did my first virtual concert years ago, but it was only the middle of last year. For full-time musicians, this has taken a devastating toll on their livelihood. It seemed like 2021 was going to be the year that we pulled out of the clutches of a global disease, but alas, the ramifications and delay to performing live in front of audiences has varied from state to state and not at a level we are accustomed to from the past.

I was fortunate, no question about that. This past year I had the ability to perform several in-person performances which helped create some extra mental stability (try playing only online for months – it can drive you nutty!). However, we are far from getting back to normal audiences and there are still many venues which either are not doing live events or haven’t been able to recover from the shutdowns we faced earlier in the year.

Personally, I have learned to live with the virus in my everyday life. To expect that it will depart with a blink of an eye is not reality but we know that when surges are down, venues are looking to book groups again for live performances. They all want to have artists to perform again and the good news is that many have opened up again to allow us to share our talents.

The last gig I had this year was in Ann Arbor, Michigan at the Kerrytown Concert House. I have had the good fortune to have played there a few years ago and it was so nice to return for a concert of Armenian music. Ticket sales were low at first and I worried that COVID was still hampering peoples interests in going out – but I was wrong. We had a great crowd and protocols were followed and everyone stayed safe. As a matter of fact, it was quite emotional and I was nervous performing as this was the first time in a long time I performed a concert and storytelling presentation. Needless to say, it was a fantastic experience and I was so happy the concert took place! (See below for some video clips from that night)

2022…..bring it on! Already have some gigs in the works and look forward to sharing music again in person. Stay healthy and safe this holiday season!