A charity music event dedicated to ‘70s of Yerevan and Aleppo took place in Yerevan organized with the support of Ministries of Diaspora and Culture of Armenia and funded by AGBU Yerevan. All profits of the concert will be directed to meet the needs of Syrian-Armenians.
Popular artists from Yerevan and Aleppo participated in the concerts on August 29 and 30 in Aram Khachaturyan Concert Hall.
Concert presenter Zhan Vardan recalled the 40-plus year cultural bond between Aleppo-Armenians and Yerevan, dating back to a 1971 concert in Aleppo by composer Konstantin Orbelyan. These decades later the cultural exchange continues Vardan said.
The main musicians of the concert were Konstantin Orbelyan’s Armenian State Pop Orchestra singers. Four Aleppo-Armenian singers and three guitar players also took part.
Songs of the 70s were presented by Aramo, Emmy, Gayane Hovhannisyan, Radik Gabrielyan. Jazz music collection was presented by Syrian-Armenian artists Rena Tin, Zhan Vardan, Lila Vardanyan-Poghosian, Karo Taghtevirenian.
Singer Taghtevirenian was brought to Armenia by the ongoing war in Syria. Before that he had been in the motherland in 1966 and had 10 concerts. In Armenia he continues his career singing in a restaurant. At the concert he sang together with Armenian singer Emmy. He says he will remain in Armenia.
“It is a great pleasure for me to sing in my motherland. It is with excitement that I remember singing in this same concert hall decades ago. In 1966 in this same hall I had six concerts. I was a young boy then – 18-20 years old,” he said.
This concert with participation of Armenian and Syrian-Armenian artists is another step towards Syrian Armenians’ integration and proof that culture serves an important role in unifying a nation.
Expressing her gratitude Minister of Diaspora, Hranush Hakobyan said that Syrian-Armenians express their compassion and support through this concert.
“They can feel that their motherland is by their side, and will not leave them alone in difficulties. We are powerful together, and together we must win and become stronger,” Hakobyan said.