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New AGBU Performing Arts Department off to Exciting Start

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  • New AGBU Performing Arts Department off to Exciting Start

    New AGBU Performing Arts Department off to Exciting Start

    http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/03/07/new-agbu-performing-arts-department-off-to-exciting-start/
    March 7, 2013


    Competitions, Concerts, and Cultural Events Draw International Attention

    This past year, the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) unveiled
    its new Performing Arts Department (PAD), and has since expanded its
    reach broadly to support rising talents - and has plenty more in store
    in the months to come.



    AGBU Performing Arts Scholarship Fellowship recipients play world
    premiere pieces written by Vahram Sargsyan (conducting) at the AGBU
    NYSEC Performing Artists in Concert. (Photo by Stewart Isbell)
    A central part of PAD's mission is to connect young Armenian artists
    with their musical heritage. In 2012, the AGBU initiated its Musical
    Armenia Program, which PAD will continue to administer with AGBU
    Yerevan this summer. In its pilot year, Musical Armenia brought
    diasporan youth from Greece, Syria, and the United States to their
    homeland to train with experts in the field, and, after an intense
    three weeks of master classes and excursions, the students
    participated in a final gala concert in Yerevan's Aram Khachaturian
    Museum Hall.

    Applications for the 2013 Musical Armenia Program are now being
    accepted, giving scores more emerging musicians ages 18 and older the
    opportunity to learn and perform alongside professional mentors this
    summer.

    While Musical Armenia participants were discovering the classics in
    Yerevan, composers around the world were writing their own original
    pieces, hoping to land a prize in the AGBU France 2012 Sayat Nova
    International Composition Competition, which was initiated by the AGBU
    France District. The first competition was organized in 2006 by the
    District in Paris during one of the AGBU's centennial celebrations.
    This past year's concert showcased more new talents while honoring the
    300th anniversary of the legendary Armenian bard. The chance to win up
    to 2,500 euros and gain international exposure drew applicants from 18
    countries, and proved that a new genre of music is on the horizon - one
    that is inspired by traditional Armenian sounds and has a modern,
    global twist.



    An international ensemble performs the winning pieces from the AGBU
    Sayat Nova International Composition Competition at a concert
    organized by AGBU France in Paris's prestigious Salle Cortot.
    Winners from each Sayat Nova International Composition Competition,
    along with AGBU scholarship recipients, got their moment in the
    spotlight at two back-to-back concert events in December 2012, which
    drew more than 750 music enthusiasts. The first, presented by the AGBU
    New York Special Events Committee (NYSEC) in Carnegie Hall, and the
    second, organized by AGBU France at Paris's prestigious Salle Cortot,
    included the world premieres of several works. Generous donations from
    the NYSEC concert will continue to support AGBU musical programs and
    events, as well as gifted young Armenian performers.

    PAD's artistic director, Hayk Arsenyan, is himself a former AGBU
    Performing Arts Scholarship recipient who, with the AGBU's support,
    was able to pursue a career as an internationally acclaimed concert
    pianist and composer. He is also as a member of the French Union of
    Composers in Paris and a faculty member at New York University's Tisch
    School of the Arts. Arsenyan remarked on PAD's goals to both connect
    Armenian artists worldwide and introduce Armenian art to diverse
    audiences, stating, `As a Yerevan native who has worked in France,
    Russia, and the United States, I have met artists who were eager to
    learn and play Armenian music, though it was largely absent from their
    classrooms and concert halls. With PAD, we are changing that by
    creating more educational opportunities and performances, while
    supporting emerging and established Armenian artists. I'm delighted to
    have the opportunity to help establish PAD and look forward to
    watching our initiatives unfold.'



    Local artists discuss new collaborations at the inaugural AGBU
    Performing Arts Department Salon Night in New York, the first of a
    series of networking events designed especially for musicians and
    vocalists.
    Those initiatives include a series of international events that will
    bring music lovers and performers together. Plans are already underway
    for next year's annual NYSEC concert; in the meantime the AGBU Artists
    project, which is sponsored by AGBU France and supported by PAD, will
    introduce new talents to local communities in Europe. In New York,
    PAD's Salon Night, which is being organized every few months at the
    AGBU Central Office, is giving local artists the opportunity to
    network and forge collaborations. At the kickoff event this winter,
    guests enjoyed a screening of Sergey Parajanov's classic film `The
    Color of Pomegranates,' based on Sayat Nova's life, celebrating the
    man whose legacy has endured through centuries and inspired them to
    make the Armenian music of tomorrow.

    To learn more about the new AGBU Performing Arts Department and
    upcoming events, e-mail [email protected]. To learn more about
    the AGBU Musical Armenia Program and submit an application, visit
    www.agbu.org/musicalarmenia. For more information about the AGBU and
    its worldwide programs, visit www.agbu.org.




    From: A. Papazian
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