Generation of young musicians celebrate Armenia’s Independence Day

Hundreds of young musicians from across Armenia will come together this month to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the country’s independence.

The musicians, who hail from Armenia as well as the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and age between nine and 30, will represent a ‘generation of independence’.

During the concert on 21 September, the pan-Armenian orchestra and choir will perform music by Edvard Baghdarsaryan, Alexander Arutiunian and Aram Khachaturian, as well as a special piece dedicated to the Independence Day.

Lilit Matsakyan, head of projects and touring department for the State Youth Orchestra of Armenia, which initiated the project, told IAM: ‘For the first time more than seven hundred musicians [from] all around Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh will get together on one stage around one idea: we are the Generation of Independence. Independence is invaluable and Armenians are among the nations which had to conquer it through centuries. We know well its value and its celebration is the most festive event nationwide.’

In an interview with Aravot, the orchestra’s founding artistic director Sergey Smbatyan (pictured above) explained that the project aims to showcase the talents of young Armenian musicians.

He said: ‘We are proud of our past, but we need to show on this great holiday that we also have a young generation which is creating the country’s present today, and tomorrow it will create its future.’

The goal of the Independence Day orchestra is also to discover young musicians and foster their abilities through master classes and other programmes.

Armenia’s independence celebrations will also feature a vast array of cultural events, spanning festivals, exhibitions and theatre.

During a press conference earlier this month, the country’s deputy minister of culture Artur Poghosyan told reporters that the ‘independence generation’ will embody Armenia’s cultural achievements of the past 25 years.

syoa.am