With a deep belief that artists must be catalysts for change, Lusine MLKE-Galstyan has spent her career blending music, theatre, and community-driven initiatives to reshape the cultural landscape.
Lusine MLKE-Galstyan, a creative producer and musician from Armenia, has spent over a decade blending contemporary and indie Armenian music with theatre and film. As a co-founder of the band Tiezerk, she has helped share Armenian music globally, reinforcing that art transcends borders. Tiezerk has collaborated with MIHR Theatre for nearly ten years, recently representing Armenia at the 2024 Avignon Festival, with an invitation to perform at the 2025 Edinburgh Festival.
Born in a conflict zone, Lusine's perspective on art shifted after the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh Second War. She believes artists must be catalysts for change, not just observers. This conviction led her to establish Hrach’s Art Space, a creative hub empowering forcibly displaced communities through art.
Her participation in the British Council’s Creative Producers Training, in collaboration with Curated Place, was a turning point. ‘I believe in the power of art to inspire change, and I’m dedicated to making that happen, one project at a time’, she says. The programme provided her with essential skills and international connections, fostering collaboration across borders.
Her latest project, "We Are Our Songs," preserves the intangible cultural heritage of Nagorno- Karabakh through collaborative live shows. The first performance, funded by the British Council, marked the culmination of her training, proving that art can serve as a bridge between communities, history, and the future.