Ara Topouzian cannot remember a time when music was not a part of his life. Born in Detroit, Michigan, he first performed live with an Armenian band at the age of 10, playing the def or (tambourine). And, it was while performing with local Armenian bands that he first learned how to play the Kanun, a 76-stringed laptop harp. In 1991, in order to record and preserve Armenian, Arabic and other forms of traditional music, Ara founded American Recording Productions (ARP). In 1995, he was commissioned by the Armenian Relief Society (ARS Red Cross) to produce an album with proceeds to benefit a prenatal clinic located in an earthquake devastated area. For the Children of Armenia CD raised over $20,000 that was then donated to the clinic. In 2002, he produced another album that was dedicated to the thousands of children that had been saved by the Nork Marash Medical Center in Yerevan, Armenia. Ara’s music has been featured in several Public Broadcasting System (PBS) documentaries nationwide. For his accomplishments, Ara was honored twice with the Armenian Music Awards. Since 2009, he has been included as “one of the top performing artists” with the Michigan Humanities Council and the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs as part of a directory, which offers performers the opportunity to present their work throughout the State of Michigan. In 2012, Ara was awarded the Kresge Artist Fellowship for the Performing Arts.