Ninne Yarim

Aqil Suleymanov is the lone voice of Azerbaijani Mugham in the USA
Aqil Suleymanov, an Azerbaijani Mugham performer, has been living in the United States for over seven years, where he continues to promote the unique and traditional music of his homeland. His journey began in 2014 when he first visited the USA with the “Qarabagh Ensemble” to participate in the prestigious SXSW music festival. Since then, he has made a significant mark on the American music scene as a solo performer.

Upon arriving in Texas, Aqil found himself in an unfamiliar environment where few people knew about Azerbaijani music, let alone Mugham. However, this didn’t deter him. He began his journey by performing as a soloist with the Bereket Middle Eastern Ensemble at the University of Texas at Austin. The ensemble held regular concerts, and Aqil started to introduce Mugham to a wider audience through persistent performances and rehearsals.

After four years in Austin, Aqil relocated to New York, where he found a larger and more diverse audience receptive to Mugham. Despite this, he remains the only Mugham performer living in the United States, a responsibility he takes very seriously and from which he derives immense satisfaction.

One of his notable collaborations in New York was with George Murer, a professor at Hunter College who has a deep appreciation for Azerbaijani music. Through this connection, Aqil was introduced to another professor, Farzad Amoozegar, and together they are now working on organizing a Mugham program at Hunter College. This ongoing project holds the promise of further expanding the reach of Azerbaijani Mugham in the academic world.