The Naghash Ensemble brings medieval Armenian poetry to Universal Preservation Hall on Nov. 5

Three voices, duduk, oud, dhol and piano set 15th-century sacred texts to new music in a converted 1871 church in Saratoga Springs — a week from Thursday.

Picture a converted 19th-century church on a November night, with three voices rising over the reedy, mournful sound of a duduk. That's the setup a week from Thursday in Saratoga Springs. The Naghash Ensemble of Armenia plays Universal Preservation Hall on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 7:30 p.m. The show is part of Proctors Collaborative's 2026-27 Passport Series.

The date is close, so don't wait on tickets. They're sold through Proctors Collaborative. The Passport Series also runs a bundle deal: pick any three of its six shows for $100, per the series announcement. If this concert sounds like your kind of night, the rest of the series probably is too.

The music starts with a poet. Mkrtich Naghash was a medieval Armenian priest whose poetry grew out of his sermons and often turns on exile, and the ensemble that carries his name sets those words to new music. On its own site, the group describes a sound that draws on Armenian folk song, new classical music and post-minimalism, with jazz and rock in the mix. The lineup is three female vocalists backed by duduk, oud, dhol and piano, led by composer John Hodian. Its signature project, *Songs of Exile*, is a recorded trilogy built from Naghash's poems. The group has also released live recordings for anyone who wants a preview.

Proctors pitches the night as haunting vocals and ancient poetry meeting the colors of those instruments, in music that feels both timeless and boldly contemporary. That's an unusual promise for a Thursday in Saratoga.

Medieval poems of exile, sung in a room that was once a church.

The room matters here. Universal Preservation Hall was built in 1871 as the First Methodist Episcopal Church. After years of decline, it was rebuilt as a performance hall and held its first public event in 2020, per Wikimedia Commons and Wikipedia. It sits on Washington Street and holds about 700. Sacred texts, acoustic instruments and a space built for worship make about as natural a match as a booker could ask for.

Saratoga is one stop on a short fall run. The ensemble has U.S. dates on either side of Nov. 5, including Nov. 8 at Stable Hall in San Antonio. For the Adirondacks and Capital Region, this is the one.

Come early, find a seat with a good line of sight to the duduk player, and let the room do some of the work. A week from Thursday, those poems will have traveled a long way to get here.

Sources: Proctors Collaborative — The Naghash Ensemble of Armenia (tickets) (secure.proctorscollaborative.org); Proctors Collaborative — 2026-27 Passport Series (proctorscollaborative.org); Proctors Collaborative Announces 2026-27 Passport Series (proctorscollaborative.org); Universal Preservation Hall (universalpreservationhall.org); The Naghash Ensemble — About (naghashensemble.com); The Naghash Ensemble Live, Volume I (naghashensemble.com); Wikipedia — Universal Preservation Hall (en.wikipedia.org); Wikimedia Commons — Universal Preservation Hall, Saratoga Springs.jpg (commons.wikimedia.org); Musical Bridges — The Naghash Ensemble, Nov 8 2026 (musicalbridges.org)