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Armenian Government Invites Decker to Perform at Memorial Concert...

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  • Armenian Government Invites Decker to Perform at Memorial Concert...

    Emediawire (press release), WA

    All Press Releases for April 6, 2005

    Armenian Government Invites Decker to Perform at Memorial Concert
    Commemorating 90th Anniversary of Armenian Genocide

    The Armenian Government has officially invited U.S. world musician
    Daniel Decker to perform at the Memorial Concert in Yerevan, Armenia
    on April 23 to commemorate the 90th Anniversary of the 1915 Armenian
    Genocide. Decker will sing Adana," a song that tells the tragic
    story of the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians during WWI. It is a
    collaboration between Decker, who wrote the song's lyrics, and Ara
    Gevorgian, one of Armenia's premier composers.

    Syracuse, NY (PRWEB) April 6, 2005 -- American singer-songwriter
    Daniel Decker (www.danieldecker.com) today announced that the Armenian
    government has extended an official invitation to him to perform the
    song "Adana" at a special Memorial Concert it is hosting to commemorate
    the 90th Anniversary of the 1915 Armenian Genocide. The concert
    will take place at the Opera and Ballet Academic Theatre in Yerevan,
    the capitol of Armenia, on Saturday, April 23, 2005 at 7:00 p.m.

    The Armenian Opera Orchestra, and Ara Gevorgian, one of Armenia's
    premier composers, will accompany Decker's performance at the
    Memorial Concert. Armenia's President, Robert Kocharian, will
    be attending. Also in attendance will be the head of the Armenian
    Apostolic Church, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and
    Catholicos of All Armenians.

    The song "Adana" tells the story of the Armenian Genocide, during
    which soldiers of the Ottoman Empire forced 1.5 million Armenians into
    starvation, torture and extermination because they would not renounce
    their Christian faith. The song is a collaboration between Decker,
    who wrote its powerful lyrics, and Gevorgian, its composer. "Adana"
    is already played at the Genocide Memorial in Yerevan, Armenia,
    whenever visiting foreign dignitaries visit.

    Decker met Gevorgian by chance on a trip to Armenia in 2002. They first
    collaborated with Decker writing the lyrics to a song the composer
    had written for Armenia's National Independence Day. "Noah's Prayer"
    chronicles the biblical story of Noah and his spiritual journey on the
    ark to Mt. Ararat. With Gevorgian and the Armenian Opera Orchestra
    accompanying him, Decker performed "Noah's Prayer" live in 2002 during
    a nationally televised outdoor concert with Mt. Ararat looming in the
    background. Armenia's President Kocharian, as well as ambassadors from
    countries around the world, attended the event. After the concert,
    President Kocharian approached Decker to shake his hand and personally
    thank him for his participation.

    The television broadcast transformed the song "Noah's Prayer" into an
    immediate hit and Decker into an instant celebrity in Armenia. The
    song was repeatedly featured on Armenian radio and television, and
    Decker gave numerous performances and press interviews. On his last
    visit to the country in 2004, a reporter and television crew followed
    him everywhere he went for three days.

    It was the day after the 2002 concert that Decker heard Gevorgian's
    composition entitled "Adana." Decker felt it was perfect to tell the
    story of the Armenian genocide, an issue that moved him deeply, so he
    arranged to meet Gevorgian the next day. "Before I could tell him my
    idea to write the about the genocide, he said, 'Please choose "Adana,
    and please write about the genocide.'" Decker later discovered that
    "Adana" is the name of the city in present-day Turkey where one of
    the first massacres of the Armenian people took place. Thus, a second
    collaboration was born.

    "I wrote 'Adana' not only as a way to draw international attention
    to a terrible tragedy, but as a source of healing to the Armenian
    people," explains Decker. Neither modern day Muslim Turkey, nor the
    United States, an ally of Turkey, has formally recognized the Armenian
    Genocide. "I am delighted to have the opportunity to perform with
    Daniel again," says Gevorgian. "Daniel has done a great thing for the
    people of Armenia. When you listen to 'Adana,' you know that he was
    meant to write the lyrics of this song to bring greater international
    awareness to the Armenian Genocide."

    In addition to the work Decker has done to garner attention for the
    genocide, Decker has also been working with relief organizations in
    Armenia to bring aid to the poorest regions and to those that have
    been hit the hardest, children and the elderly.

    Both "Adana" and "Noah's Prayer" can be found on Decker's latest
    recording entitled, "My Offering," available on his website. With a
    musical journey that has taken him to England, Puerto Rico, Canada and
    Armenia, this CD reflects Decker's love and appreciation of the many
    cultures he has experienced. Along with his unique piano stylings,
    the CD "My Offering" is a rich fusion of world music influences,
    with flamenco guitars, Armenian duduk, Brazilian samba, Latin jazz,
    and special performances by the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra.

    For more information about Decker, please visit
    www.danieldecker.com. Please direct press inquiries to Anne Sharp at
    (818) 994-2309.

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