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The dirge ceremony of the legendary chansonnier Charles Aznavour will take place on October 5, in Paris, Hôtel des Invalides, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Facebook page of Aznavour Foundation.
PM Nikol Pashinyan informed that he will participate in the dirge ceremony and funeral of the world famous French-Armenian singer Charles Aznavour.
World-renowned French-Armenian singer, composer, and actor Charles Aznavour responded to opposition MP Nikol Pashinyan’s call.
“Although I am far away because of my obligations, my heart remains in Armenia. I am very affected and worried by the current situation. I invite all parties to come together at the table to find a solution and to avoid any violence. Everyone will have to make concessions to maintain the unity of the nation around the humanistic and democratic values that are dear to us.
My strongest desire is for youth to find its place and flourish in a prosperous and peaceful Armenia,” Armenia’s Ambassador to Switzerland, Aznavour noted in his statement.
Aznavour to Receive a Star
HOLLYWOOD—Legendary singer and performer Charles Aznavour is among several entertainment professionals in the categories of Motion Pictures, Television, Live Theatre/Live Performance, Radio and Recording who have been selected to receive stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, it was announced Thursday by the Walk of Fame Selection Committee of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
Aznavour will join Lin Manuel Miranda, the creator and star of the hit Broadway musical “Hamilton” in the Live Theatre/Live Performance category.
These honorees were chosen from among hundreds of nominations to the committee at a meeting held in June and ratified by the Hollywood Chamber’s Board of Directors. Television Producer and Walk of Famer Vin Di Bona, Chair of the Walk of Fame Selection Committee for 2017, announced the new honorees with Leron Gubler, President & CEO for the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce who is also the emcee of the Walk of Fame ceremonies.
“The Walk of Fame Selection Committee is pleased to announce our newest honorees to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Committee looked carefully at each nominee and we feel that we have selected an eclectic group of talent that will appeal to the tastes of many fans around the world,” said Di Bona. “As a Walk of Famer myself, I know these honorees will remember the dedication of their stars with great memories and will be proud that they are part of Hollywood’s history now and forever. We look forward to their big day as the Walk of Fame Class of 2018 becomes cemented one by one on the most famous sidewalk in the world!”
Last October, Aznavour was awarded an honorary Walk of Fame plaque for his contributions to the Arts and the global Armenian community.
The plaque was presented by Senator Kevin de León, who represents Little Armenia in Hollywood, in honor of the world-renowned artist’s arrival to the United States and his upcoming performance at the Pantages Theatre on October 28.
“Humbled and elated, we welcomed world renowned Charles Aznavour to Hollywood and presented him with honorary Walk of Fame plaque as well as the historic 101 Hollywood Freeway Little Armenia sign,” said de Leon. “The plaque and welcome ceremony launched what will be Aznavour’s permanent recognition and presence in Hollywood in months to come.”
The 92-year old Aznavour has written over 800 songs and recorded over 1,200, selling more than 180 million records worldwide. He is often referred to as the “French Frank Sinatra” and is considered to be one of France’s most popular singers, and is considered to be one of the most popular Armenians of modern time.
Among those receiving the a star on the Walk of Fame are Kirsten Dunst, Jeff Goldblum, F. Gary Gray, Mark Hamill, Jennifer Lawrence, Gina Lollobrigida, Minnie Mouse, Gillian Anderson, Lynda Carter, Simon Cowell, Taraji P. Henson, Eric McCormack, Ryan Murphy, Shonda Rhimes, Mary J. Blige and Sir Richard Branson.
The Walk of Fame is a tribute to all of those who worked diligently to develop the concept and to maintain this world-class tourist attraction. The Walk of Fame is open to the public. No paid admission or assigned seating at star ceremonies.
No date has been set for the Aznavour’s award ceremony.
Prominent Armenian singer Charles Aznavour has called for nominating heroes of our time for the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity, reads the Facebook post of the annual international humanitarian award.
To remind, the Aurora Prize is seeking personal stories of individuals who have put themselves at personal risk for the sake of others. Nominations are open to the public until September 9, 2016.
According to the rules, anyone can nominate a candidate they believe has overcome great personal challenges to make an exceptional impact on preserving human life and advancing humanitarian causes. A description of the Prize criteria and selection process can be found here.
Every year, an Aurora Prize Laureate is honored with a US$100,000 grant, as well as a US$1,000,000 award to be donated to charitable organizations that inspired their work.
The Aurora Prize is the philanthropic vision of co-founders Vartan Gregorian, Noubar Afeyan and Ruben Vardanyan, who sought to express gratitude and memorialize those whose heroic actions saved lives during the Armenian Genocide more than one hundred years ago. Continuing the cycle of giving, the Aurora Prize carries forward that legacy of gratitude.
The second annual Aurora Prize will be presented on April 24, 2017, in Yerevan, Armenia.
Being French is more important for me than being Armenian, but I am Armenian; I don’t deny that, prominent French-Armenian singer and song-writer Charles Aznavour said in a televised interview on CNN.
“I don’t like the people who deny something because they are afraid of not being welcome,” said the singer.
Speaking of his Armenian roots, the Aznavour also shared his attitude to the Armenian Genocide issue when reminded of his visit to Yerevan in 2015 to attend the 100th anniversary commemorations.
“All the French have recognized their error; Germans were fantastic in the way they learned it, so why not the Turks? Nobody ever asked the Turks, ‘Why did you kill the Armenians? What is the reason?’ Religion? I don’t believe it. I read the Koran, because I wanted to know if there was anything in it. Nothing was there. So it’s not really just,” he said.
Asked about his future plans, Aznavour said he intends to write a song about migrants. “Why to refuse the people to come and to be French. When we talk about a French painter, we talk about [Pablo] Picasso, [Francois] Flameng. Everybody is not French. I am not French, and [neither are] many others. And that makes France so. They bring something with them through their misery, a plenty of things to teach to us,” the singer added.
Legendary French-Armenian singer and song-writer Charles Aznavour is starting concert series in Paris next month.
The musician has prepared an exceptional surprise for his fans, Nostalgie.fr reports, as he is planning to give six concerts at the concert hall Palais du Sports from September 15 to 27. The singer will appear on stage on September 15, 17, 23, 25 and 27. The concerts will start at 8:30 pm Paris time.
Aznavour will perform his famous hits but concentrate for most part on the album Encore, says the website, adding that the disc released in 2015 is a tribute to the singer’s tenacious character and fans’ support.
MOSCOW—Renowned French-Armenian singer and Armenia’s ambassador to Switzerland Charles Aznavour has expressed concern over the arrest of Armenian businessman and philanthropist Levon Hayrapetian in 
Moscow. According to Artsakh Today, Aznavour has called on Russian authorities to change the terms of Hayrapetian’s detention, taking into consideration his health condition.
A committee of medical experts is looking into the possibility of allowing the Armenian businessman, who was arrested in Moscow last week, to be confined to house arrest pending investigation or trial.
Charles Aznavour, who has met with Levon Hayrapetian on many occasions, has always appreciated his activities aimed at the development of Armenia and Artsakh.
Hayrapetian, 65, was arrested by Russian Federal Security Service officials on July 15. Last Thursday, a Moscow court allowed the businessman’s two-month imprisonment while investigators conduct a probe into his alleged criminal connections and involvement in some illegal financial dealings. Official charges against Hayrapetian are expected to be brought on July 24.
Hayrapetian is considered to be one of the wealthiest Armenians in the world. He is known to have invested millions of dollars into developing Nagorno-Karabakh’s infrastructure and renovating the area’s historical-cultural monuments. His charity included a mass wedding for 700 Karabakh couples in 2008 and sponsorship of the construction of a military college in Martakert.