Hrant Kenkulian, better known by his nickname Udi Hrant, was a virtuoso player on the oud (the oud is an oriental stringed instrument).

His modern interpretations and performance style have had an indelible influence on subsequent generations of udahars.

Kenkulian was born in 1901. In the first years of his life together with his family, he often moved from one place to another, trying not to become a victim of the Genocide against Armenians. The family eventually found refuge in Constantinople, where his teacher was one of the famous Armenian Udahars of the time.

Although he made a living by playing in Turkey, it wasn’t until he traveled to the United States after which his fame increased.

He sang in both Armenian and Turkish and had a wide audience among the Armenian-, Turkish- and Greek-speaking communities.

Needless to say, for an Armenian musician, such popularity in Turkey was a special exception, especially after not so long ago the majority of turkish- Armenians were exterminated in their homeland

He continued to perform both locally and internationally, also visiting Armenia in his old age. Hrant Kenkulyan died in 1978.

 His remains are buried in the Shishli historic  Armenian    cemetery in Constantinople.