Yerazart Concert
On Wednesday, October 14th 2009, a group of young musicians from Armenia enchanted the crowd at the Alex Manoogian Cultural Centre of AGBU’s Toronto chapter. The six talented youth that performed had been chosen from a roster of 490 young artists who compete yearly in Armenia for the opportunity to participate in Western concert tours, an opportunity made possible in coordination with Yerazart, a Boston-based, non-profit organization. Founded in 2004 by Noubar Afeyan and Raffi Festekjian, Yerazart aims to assist talented young Armenian musicians in various aspects of their professional development.
Under the artistic direction of Arman Padaryan, these talented Armenian musicians put on a show that was indeed very impressive. Several pieces moved members of the audience to tears: among them, a haunting duduk melody performed by Norayr Gapoyan (“Ashkharums agh chim kashi” composed by Sayat Nova) and a heavenly vocal rendition of “Garun a” (composed by Komitas) delivered by Mane Galoyan with Hripsime Aghakaryan accompanying on piano.
The diversity of the pieces chosen demonstrated both the musicians’ breadth as artists and their mastery of the instruments. Baghdasaryan’s “Rhapsody Polonaise”, a highly technical piece, was played with finesse and fervor by violinist Hrayr Karapetyan. In addition, Hripsime Aghakaryan’s performance of Babadjanian’s “Capriccio” on piano bared witness to the young woman’s excellent musicianship and elegant phrasing.
Numbers in the second act included oboist Mane Harutyunyan’s charming performance of Colin’s “Concert” and cellist Hayk Sukiasyan’s rendition of Harutyunyan’s “Exprompt”, an adventure of a piece during which Sukiasyan moved swiftly and gracefully from fast-paced, dramatic passages to more mournful ones. The last act brought all 6 of the Yerazart musicians together to perform as a sextet, for which the youth received a standing ovation. The evening was truly a culturally enriching experience enjoyed by all who attended.
A thank you letter from Yeraz Art can be viewed by clicking here.
Kef Night 2009
AGBU was proud to host our annual Kef Night at the Alex Manoogian Cultural Centre on September 18th, 2009. Over 200 people came together to celebrate Armenian food, music and culture, and the Babayan ballroom of the Alex Manoogian Cultural Centre was beautifully decorated for the occasion. Attendees enjoyed a wide variety of delicious home made Armenian and Middle Eastern food, while also being entertained by a number of Armenian performers.
D.J. “Sound of Med” provided musical entertainment for guests who wished to dance. In addition, Libarid Nercessian performed a comedy sketch, Sossie Mardirossian sang 2 popular Armenian songs and Seta Deherian entertained the audience with a hula hoop competition. Capping off the evening, Shogher Menengichian and Hagop Misakyan demonstrated a few Latin dance steps to younger members of the audience.
The 2009 Kef Night was truly a great success that provided a wonderful venue for fun and celebration among members of the AGBU community.
Thank you to those who attended; we hope to see you again next year for an equally pleasant evening of merriment and good cheer!
