The Armenian Friends of America is readying to welcome The Vosbikian Band to headline its seventh annual Hye Kef 5 dance on Saturday, Oct. 19, from 7 p.m. to midnight at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Boston-Andover in Andover.
The dance will represent the first time the group is performing in the Boston area in many years.
Based out of New Jersey and Philadelphia, The Vosbikian Band is filled with a rich family musical history.
The band was founded in 1939 by three brothers, Samuel, Manuel (Mike) and Joseph Vosbikian, born to Armenian immigrant parents from Malatya, Turkey, just after World War II.
Today, the family band is still going strong with second- and third-generation members among the musicians. The current lineup features Steve Vosbikian Sr., Gregory Vosbikian, Steve Vosbikian, Mike Vosbikian, Christopher Vosbikian, Jake Terkanian and Ara Dinkjian.
Harry Kezelian, an Armenian music blogger, calls The Vosbikians the longest-running Armenian band in America.
“(They are) one of the most influential groups in the history of Armenian dance music in America,” he says. “It can be said that without this group, the music as we know it today would not exist anymore.”
Tickets for the Oct. 19 dance are $75 for adults, $65 for students 21 and under. They include a continuous buffet from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., followed by coffee and dessert, and a cash bar. Tickets will only be sold in advance; there will be none available at the door.
The event benefits the Armenian churches of the Merrimack Valley, including St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church of North Andover; the Armenian Apostolic Church at Hye Point, Bradford; Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic Church of Chelmsford; and Ararat Armenian Congregational Church of Salem, N.H.
For tickets, call John Arzigian at 603-560-3826, Lucy Sirmaian at 978-683-9121, Mary Ann Janigian at 603-770-3375, Sharke Der Apkarian at 978-808-0598 or Kathy Geyer at 978-475-8309.