Zulal, an Armenian a capella folk trio, to combine secular and sacred music at the Getty Center on Saturday

Minor keys and uncommon time signatures are the expressive stamps that give Armenian folk music its often eerie and impassioned quality. Saturday at the Getty Center, Zulal, an Armenian a capella folk trio, will play its own brand of music that deviates from the norm.

“A lot of Armenian music is thought to be very haunting and soulful, but I think we bring out a lot of playfulness as well in the folk songs that we do,” said Anais Tekerian, one of the three members of Zulal.

The trio, comprised of vocalists Tekerian, Teni Apelian and Yeraz Markarian, will bring that same energy to their music tomorrow for a performance at the Getty Center titled “Marvelous to Behold: Zulal Performs Rare Jewels and Cherished Favorites from the Armenian Songbook.”

The performance is scheduled in conjunction with the ongoing Getty exhibition “”˜In the Beginning Was the Word’: Medieval Gospel Illumination.” This exhibition showcases medieval and Renaissance illuminated manuscripts taken from Christian Gospels all over the world, ranging from Western Europe to Ethiopia.

Sarah McCarthy, senior projects director in the museum public programs department, said bringing the concert and exhibition together bridges the gap between the two art forms.

“Art and music throughout the world has always been closely linked. When you are learning about art from a specific time or place you cannot separate the visual art from other art forms being created at the time,” McCarthy said.

Sabrina Lynn Motley, music consultant at the Getty Center and curator for the event, said she chose Zulal herself because of the trio’s artistic excellence and faithfulness to tradition and willingness to explore custom compliments the themes of the exhibition.

According to Tekerian, the exhibition has inspired Zulal to create a concert that explores the connections between secular and sacred music through a mix of medieval hymns and folk pieces.

Tekerian said the trio, which typically arranges folk songs, has not experimented with religious Armenian music in the past, but looks forward to performing these arrangements publicly for the first time.

“It has been very exciting to explore them, especially because you have these beautiful medieval hymns that are musically arresting,” Tekerian said.

Tekerian said that all of the songs Zulal will perform are hundreds of years old, but despite age these songs still maintain cultural relevance.

“These songs are part of Armenian culture because they have been passed down for so long and we want to keep these songs alive. By arranging them for our three voices we are able to give these songs a new and refreshing life and still pay respect to the heritage that has produced these beautiful songs.”

Motley said that the complexity and substance in Armenian music, including Zulal’s, are two of the characteristics of the genre she finds to be most enchanting.

“It’s the diversity of the music that I find so appealing in the really rich fabric of Armenian music,” Motley said.

The notion of variance resonates beyond the boundaries of music and into the members of the group, something that Tekerian said defines their group and adds to the creative process.

Motley said the amount of research that goes into the trio’s music is evident in the stories they share about the music and also showcases the intelligence the women of Zulal possess.

According to Tekerian, the trio shares its research with audiences because many of the songs are sung in Armenian. Explaining the songs provides insight and clarification for those who do not understand or speak the language.

“Each song has a very interesting story and people are happy to know what the story is,” Tekerian said.