In Person at Beyond Baroque and Live on YouTube

The Sér Ensemble combines oud, violin, and guitar, exploring soundscapes where the Appalachian Mountains slope into the Mediterranean Sea. Helmed by composer, writer, and educator Raffi Joe Wartanian, the group—featuring guitarist Alexy Yeghikian & violinist Shant Tanielian––draws from Armenian folk, modal jazz, flamenco, rebetiko, and poetry, to create their unique compositions. “Sér,” meaning love in Armenian and to be in Spanish, reflects a guiding ethos: compositions as a container of both presence and relation, as in an unfolding practice of community, contemplation, and mutual care. The evening also features poet laureates from Los Angeles and adjacent cities, including Los Angeles Poet Laureate, Brian Sonia-Wallace; El Segundo Poet Laureate,  Kweku Abimbola; and Glendale Poet Laureate, Tina Demirdjian.