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6th Annual AGBU NYSEC Concert Raises 50k for Performing Arts
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/12/20/6th-annual-agbu-nysec-concert-raises-50k-for-performing-arts/
By Contributor // December 20, 2013
Carnegie Hall Event Commemorates 25th Anniversary of Spitak Earthquake
NEW YORK - An unexpected combination of Armenian folk songs, classical
compositions, and Spanish lyrics all came together seamlessly at this
year's AGBU New York Special Events Committee (NYSEC) Performing
Artists in Concert. The sixth annual event, held on Dec. 7, drew
hundreds of guests to the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall to
commemorate the earthquake that devastated Armenia 25 years ago.
The evening's program featured a number of well-known Armenian
composers, as well as original pieces prepared especially for the
NYSEC concert. Making its world premiere was Tomás Barreiro's
`Rossignol Mecanique,' a variation of `The Death of the Nightingale,'
which won Barreiro the AGBU 2012 Sayat Nova International Composition
Competition and earned him the prize to showcase his work at Carnegie
Hall. The duduk, mezzo-soprano, oboe, piano, and string trio brought
the composition to life.
Before taking the conductor's stand, Barreiro, a Mexico City native,
commented on the Sayat Nova poetry that influenced him. He also
expressed his gratitude to the AGBU, stating, `I have participated in
a number of competitions and never before found such an amazing group
of people. I cannot claim Armenian roots, but the AGBU Sayat Nova
International Composition Competition introduced me to the vibrant
Armenian community and its incredibly rich musical heritage, which
continue to inspire me.'
`Rossignol Mecanique' was one of the concert's many works to combine
Armenian traditional music and more contemporary sounds. Maxime
Aulio's `Odes Arméniennes,' which also debuted at the NYSEC event,
rearranged four of Sayat Nova's poems. `Tagh to Resurrection' by
Tigran Mansurian incorporated medieval melodies while replicating an
audio recording of Komitas. The audience also enjoyed `Impromptu' and
`Verhoush' by the late Alexander Arutiunian and Edward Mirzoyan,
respectively, as well as famous pieces by Aram Khachaturian in honor
of the 110th anniversary of his birth.
The young concert performers are carrying on the legacy of
Khachaturian and other Armenian masters as they pursue their own
careers with support from the AGBU Scholarship Program. Each member of
the international ensemble has received an AGBU Performing Arts
Fellowship: Pierre Bedrossian (oboe, duduk, and English horn); Ani
Kalayjian (cello); Henrik Karapetyan (violin and viola); Solange
Merdinian (mezzo-soprano); Nazig Tchakarian (violin); Varta Tchakarian
(piano); and Adam Tendler (piano). With the AGBU's funding, they have
trained at some of the world's top-ranking institutions, including the
Yerevan State Komitas Conservatory, the Juilliard School of Music, the
National Music Conservatory of Paris, and the Royal Northern College
of Music in Manchester.
The concert's artistic director, Nazig Tchakarian, who partnered with
AGBU Performing Arts Department Director Hayk Arsenyan, said, `It was
a pleasure to have collaborated with such dedicated and talented
artists. After months of preparation, and a great week of rehearsing,
it was rewarding to see everything come together so beautifully. I was
very pleased to be able to give back to the AGBU after all the
organization has done for me over the years, and am thankful to the
AGBU and NYSEC for making this evening such a tremendous success.'
The sixth annual AGBU Performing Artists in Concert was co-chaired by
Nila Festekjian and Sossy Setrakian and organized by AGBU NYSEC. This
year, generous supporters of the NYSEC concert donated more than
$50,000, which will help sustain AGBU's performing arts initiatives
worldwide.
The AGBU Performing Arts Fellowship Program offers grants to full-time
undergraduate and graduate students of Armenian descent worldwide who
are pursuing their study in the field of performing arts. To make a
contribution to sustain and support the enhancement of future Armenian
musicians, contact the AGBU at (212) 319-6383 or [email protected].
Established in 2012, the AGBU Performing Arts Department (PAD)
connects young Armenian artists worldwide and introduces Armenian art
to diverse audiences. In its pilot year, PAD launched the Musical
Armenia Program, an annual summer initiative that brings artists from
around the world to Armenia to explore the country's musical heritage.
To learn more about PAD, visit www.agbu.org/program/culture. The AGBU
Sayat Nova International Composition Competition is organized
biennially by AGBU Paris. To learn more about the 2014 competition,
visit http://sayatnovaeng.agbueurope.org.
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/12/20/6th-annual-agbu-nysec-concert-raises-50k-for-performing-arts/
By Contributor // December 20, 2013
Carnegie Hall Event Commemorates 25th Anniversary of Spitak Earthquake
NEW YORK - An unexpected combination of Armenian folk songs, classical
compositions, and Spanish lyrics all came together seamlessly at this
year's AGBU New York Special Events Committee (NYSEC) Performing
Artists in Concert. The sixth annual event, held on Dec. 7, drew
hundreds of guests to the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall to
commemorate the earthquake that devastated Armenia 25 years ago.
The evening's program featured a number of well-known Armenian
composers, as well as original pieces prepared especially for the
NYSEC concert. Making its world premiere was Tomás Barreiro's
`Rossignol Mecanique,' a variation of `The Death of the Nightingale,'
which won Barreiro the AGBU 2012 Sayat Nova International Composition
Competition and earned him the prize to showcase his work at Carnegie
Hall. The duduk, mezzo-soprano, oboe, piano, and string trio brought
the composition to life.
Before taking the conductor's stand, Barreiro, a Mexico City native,
commented on the Sayat Nova poetry that influenced him. He also
expressed his gratitude to the AGBU, stating, `I have participated in
a number of competitions and never before found such an amazing group
of people. I cannot claim Armenian roots, but the AGBU Sayat Nova
International Composition Competition introduced me to the vibrant
Armenian community and its incredibly rich musical heritage, which
continue to inspire me.'
`Rossignol Mecanique' was one of the concert's many works to combine
Armenian traditional music and more contemporary sounds. Maxime
Aulio's `Odes Arméniennes,' which also debuted at the NYSEC event,
rearranged four of Sayat Nova's poems. `Tagh to Resurrection' by
Tigran Mansurian incorporated medieval melodies while replicating an
audio recording of Komitas. The audience also enjoyed `Impromptu' and
`Verhoush' by the late Alexander Arutiunian and Edward Mirzoyan,
respectively, as well as famous pieces by Aram Khachaturian in honor
of the 110th anniversary of his birth.
The young concert performers are carrying on the legacy of
Khachaturian and other Armenian masters as they pursue their own
careers with support from the AGBU Scholarship Program. Each member of
the international ensemble has received an AGBU Performing Arts
Fellowship: Pierre Bedrossian (oboe, duduk, and English horn); Ani
Kalayjian (cello); Henrik Karapetyan (violin and viola); Solange
Merdinian (mezzo-soprano); Nazig Tchakarian (violin); Varta Tchakarian
(piano); and Adam Tendler (piano). With the AGBU's funding, they have
trained at some of the world's top-ranking institutions, including the
Yerevan State Komitas Conservatory, the Juilliard School of Music, the
National Music Conservatory of Paris, and the Royal Northern College
of Music in Manchester.
The concert's artistic director, Nazig Tchakarian, who partnered with
AGBU Performing Arts Department Director Hayk Arsenyan, said, `It was
a pleasure to have collaborated with such dedicated and talented
artists. After months of preparation, and a great week of rehearsing,
it was rewarding to see everything come together so beautifully. I was
very pleased to be able to give back to the AGBU after all the
organization has done for me over the years, and am thankful to the
AGBU and NYSEC for making this evening such a tremendous success.'
The sixth annual AGBU Performing Artists in Concert was co-chaired by
Nila Festekjian and Sossy Setrakian and organized by AGBU NYSEC. This
year, generous supporters of the NYSEC concert donated more than
$50,000, which will help sustain AGBU's performing arts initiatives
worldwide.
The AGBU Performing Arts Fellowship Program offers grants to full-time
undergraduate and graduate students of Armenian descent worldwide who
are pursuing their study in the field of performing arts. To make a
contribution to sustain and support the enhancement of future Armenian
musicians, contact the AGBU at (212) 319-6383 or [email protected].
Established in 2012, the AGBU Performing Arts Department (PAD)
connects young Armenian artists worldwide and introduces Armenian art
to diverse audiences. In its pilot year, PAD launched the Musical
Armenia Program, an annual summer initiative that brings artists from
around the world to Armenia to explore the country's musical heritage.
To learn more about PAD, visit www.agbu.org/program/culture. The AGBU
Sayat Nova International Composition Competition is organized
biennially by AGBU Paris. To learn more about the 2014 competition,
visit http://sayatnovaeng.agbueurope.org.