Naghash Ensemble Brings Armenian Spirituality to Fez in A Soulful Dialogue Across Time
Fez – The Naghash Ensemble is a musical phenomenon that resists easy classification.
On the Jnan Sbil stage of the 28th edition of the Fez Festival of World Sacred Music, the Armenian ensemble took the audience on a journey that transcended geography and time.
Led by composer and pianist John Hodian, the group sang a spiritual conversation between past and present, East and West, sacred and secular. Blending Armenian folk traditions, classical minimalism, jazz, and even Western pop, the group breathes new life into the sacred poetry of Mkrtich Naghash, a 15th-century Armenian priest and poet.
At the heart of the ensemble are three classically trained sopranos, whose soaring voices intertwine with the haunting tones of the duduk (Armenian wooden flute), the rhythmic pulse of the dohol (double-headed drum), the nuanced textures of the oud, and the synchronized depth of the piano.
In an exclusive interview with Morocco World News (MWN), Hodian delved into the soul of the ensemble’s work, the deep labor of creativity, and what it means to bring Armenian mystical texts to life in a Moroccan context.
“This is our first time performing in Morocco,” Hodian said with visible excitement. “One of the things I’m so thrilled about is the very nature of this festival… it’s very inclusive. Armenians obviously are Christian people, and what a wonderful thing that they would ask us to come here and be part of it.”
Performing in a country where Islamic culture deeply informs its musical and spiritual traditions, the ensemble’s presence is a symbol of interfaith dialogue and cultural exchange. “We’re thrilled to be here,” Hodian emphasized. “I really am.”
The spiritual power of ancient words, reimagined
The ensemble takes its name from Mkrtich Naghash, a 15th-century Armenian priest and poet whose meditative, mystical texts form the backbone of the group’s repertoire.
Mkrtich Naghash’s texts, written in the aftermath of political turmoil and exile, explore themes of faith, suffering, and transcendence. The Naghash Ensemble amplifies these emotions through a sound that is at once ancient and strikingly contemporary.
Hodian, the group’s founder and creative force, composes original music inspired by these centuries-old writings.
But this is no museum piece. “The music we do is all new music that we’ve created,” Hodian explained. “But it’s based on ancient texts… That’s why we’re called the Naghash Ensemble.”
What makes this synthesis remarkable is the intuitive way Hodian brings together disparate eras and musical styles. “I don’t consciously think this is old, this is new, this sounds Armenian, this sounds contemporary,” he said. “It is just me responding to these words… I have to trust that I just use my intuition. That’s all I have.”
An ensemble without borders
The musical configuration of the ensemble itself speaks to its boundary-crossing ethos.
“There’s many different traditions of oud playing,” Hodian noted. “Arabic, Turkic… same thing with dhol. But the dudukis the one instrument that is truly the voice of Armenian music. It has a very soulful, poignant sound.”
This careful instrumentation creates a powerful sonic mosaic, complex, dynamic, and deeply emotive.
“It’s hard to talk about music,” Hodian admitted. “But we have three really wonderful singers doing this very kind of complicated counterpoint sometimes. And that’s what the music is.”
Musical kinship across cultures
When asked whether Moroccan or broader Arabic music has influenced his work, Hodian was thoughtful but candid. While he is no scholar of the region’s musical traditions, the musician expressed a deep appreciation for its authenticity and emotional power.
“I am somewhat familiar. Certainly not any kind of scholar on Arabic or Moroccan music,” he admitted. “But I’ve always loved it. The only other time I was in Morocco, I specifically came to go to the Essaouira Festival, which was just wonderful. So I love the music.”
However, Hodian’s artistic compass is less about geography and more about sincerity. “I love any genuine music from all over the world,” he continued. “Whether it’s Arabic or American or Armenian or whatever it is, as long as it’s sincere, as long as it’s honest.”
This pursuit of honesty in composition often requires painful scrutiny. “Sometimes I work on something for weeks, and I look at it and go, ‘You know, this isn’t really… this could be better.’ And that’s how I work.”
In this way, his affinity for Moroccan and Arabic music isn’t about imitation or fusion, but about a shared reverence for emotional truth, a quality that transcends language and tradition.
Crafting the sound of the spirit
When asked about his creative process, Hodian described it as both spiritually driven and painstakingly methodical.
“I write and I write and I write, and then I rewrite and I keep taking away and adding and taking away,” he explained. “It takes me a long, long time… Sometimes the music is very simple, but it takes a very long time to get to the genuine stuff.”
This sculptor-like approach reflects a deep respect for the material. “Anything that is worthwhile is something that you have to work for,” he said. “There are moments of great inspiration, but then to get it in its proper form… it is work.”
Sacred, but not sentimental
Though their work is rooted in sacred texts, Hodian avoids sentimentality or superficial spirituality. “I just don’t like anything that has artifice,” he said.
“You develop an instinct for what is honest and genuine and what is artificial. And I’m always just chipping away to get to that.”
He draws a line between true creativity and pastiche. “I love any genuine music from all over the world,” he added. “As long as it’s sincere, as long as it’s honest.”
The connection between music and spirituality is central to Hodian’s vision, but not in the way one might expect. “Something that is easy, something that is just sat in your lap, you can lose it just as easily,” he said.
“Maybe if I was Mozart, it would come to me easily. But it isn’t for me. I have to work quite hard.”
That struggle, however, is also the path to transcendence. “For me… it’s as close to an otherworldly experience as I get in this world,” he said of performing live. “I am transfixed for the 45 minutes, hour, whatever it is.”
Letting go of expectations
While the Ensemble’s music is meticulously composed, Hodian approaches performance with humility and openness.
“I have learned not to have any expectations,” he said. “And when I do, they’re usually wrong… I just know every time we perform, we are in it completely.”
In this way, each concert becomes a spiritual exercise, and not just for the audience, but for the performers themselves.
“Whether the audience comes along with us… they usually do. So we hope they will tonight.”
Between worlds
The performance of the Naghash Ensemble at the Fez Festival is not only an artistic contribution; it is a gesture of spiritual unity.
In a world that often fractures along lines of faith and culture, their music reminds us that there are deeper connections to be found in the shared human search for meaning.
By setting the words of a medieval Armenian mystic to music that speaks to modern ears, the Naghash Ensemble has created a new sacred tradition, one that invites the world in, rather than shutting it out.
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