River Guerguerian is a multi-

percussionist A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

, and

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

. Canadian-born, River is of Armenian-Egyptian descent and currently lives in

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...

Education

In 1989, Guerguerian received his Bachelor of Music from the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in mu ...

conservatory and graduated with the school's award for Most Outstanding Percussionist.

Music Career and Affiliations

River Guerguerian's music has evolved through explorations of indigenous instruments, and their trance-inducing effect, gathered from travels around the planet. His compositions have been commissioned and performed by chamber ensembles, universities, modern dance companies, and new music festivals. As a studio musician, he has recorded on over 250 albums and film soundtracks. Guerguerian records with musicians of all genres and can be found playing Drumset, Middle Eastern and Afro-Cuban percussion, Frame Drums, Marimba, Tabla, Kanjira, Cajon, Gongs, Singing Bowls, Loopers, and various found objects. He also records percussion tracks for artists at his own recording studio. Between 1988 and 1993, River created works with

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

- and

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...

-winning composer

Tan Dun Tan Dun (, ; born 18 August 1957) is a Chinese-born American composer and conductor. A leading figure of contemporary classical music, he draws from a variety of Western and Chinese influences, a dichotomy which has shaped much of his life and ...

. A respected

music educator Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do original ...

, he conducts rhythm and sound exploration workshops, and enjoys teaching privately. He is also the music director of th
Creative Technology and Arts Center
hosted by th
Odyssey Community School
in Asheville. River currently travels internationally with Turkish master musician

Omar Faruk Tekbilek Omer Faruk Tekbilek ( tr, Ömer Faruk Tekbilek, born 1951) is a Turkish musician and composer, who plays a wide range of wind, string, percussion and electronic instruments. He has developed a style that builds on traditional Sufi music, but inclu ...

and drives his world jazz tri
Free Planet Radio
since 2001. Guerguerian has performed and/or recorded with such groups as the

BBC Symphony Orchestra The BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBC SO) is a British orchestra based in London. Founded in 1930, it was the first permanent salaried orchestra in London, and is the only one of the city's five major symphony orchestras not to be self-governing. T ...

, New Music Consort, Tibetan Singing Bowl Ensemble,

Paul Winter Consort The Paul Winter Consort is an American musical group. Bassist Eliot Wadopian has been a member. Discography Films *''Canyon Consort'' (1985) References External linksLiving Music- Paul Winter's record label {{Authority control American j ...

, Talujon Percussion Ensemble,

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...

, Sophie B. Hawkins, and

Ziggy Marley David Nesta "Ziggy" Marley (born 17 October 1968) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, musician, actor and philanthropist. He is the son of reggae icon Bob Marley and Rita Marley. He led the family band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers until 200 ...

Gipsy Kings Gipsy Kings are a group of flamenco, salsa, and pop musicians from Arles and Montpellier in southern France, who perform mostly in Catalan but also mix in Spanish with southern French dialects. Although the group members were born in France, t ...

. River also performed in the

John Cage John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading fi ...

documentary film, "I Have Nothing to Say and I Am Saying It". Throughout his 30+ year career, River has performed in concert halls in Tokyo, Moscow, Rome, Berlin, Hong Kong, Barcelona, Athens, Istanbul, London, including

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

, and

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...

Off the Grid

In 1994, River sold all possessions, left civilization for five years, and lived in the

Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary is an Indian wildlife sanctuary. Binsar was the summer capital of the Chand Kings, who ruled over Kumaon from the 11th to 18th centuries AD. Binsar was established in 1988 for the conservation and protection of the shri ...

in the

Himalaya Mountains The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

, where his first daughter, Amba, was born in 1996. New influences initiated intense research and experimentation into the physiological effects of sound on the body and brainwave states.

Major works

''Trance'' – River Guerguerian (2002) ''New Bedouin Dance'' – Free Planet Radio (2004) ''Tibetan Bowl Meditation'' – River Guerguerian for The Relaxation Company/Sounds True (2006) ''The Unraveling'' – Free Planet Radio (2008) ''Grooves for Odd Times'' – River Guerguerian (2012) ''Global Americana'' – The Billy Sea (2013) ''Global Symphony Project'' – Free Planet Radio (2015) ''Stillness'' – Free Planet Radio (2018)

References

External links

sharethedrum.comfreeplanetradio.comomarfaruktekbilek.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guerguerian, River Paul Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Musicians from Asheville, North Carolina American percussionists American male composers 21st-century American composers 21st-century American male musicians