YerazArt Press Release

YERAZART YOUNG MUSICIANS FROM ARMENIA AT THE NATIONAL HERITAGE MUSEUM

October 5, 2009

Contact: Apo Ashjian
E-mail: yerazart@gmail.com

Lexington, MA - Once a year, they come to America with a mission to connect all music enthusiasts with the sounds and soul of Armenia. Different faces each year, but same mission all along. They are the YerazArt Young Musicians from Armenia, a group of incredibly talented young artists sponsored by the YerazArt Foundation, who performed Saturday, October 3, at the National Heritage Museum in Lexington, on the first stop of a tour that is taking them to San Francisco, then Fresno and Boca Raton, and finally Montreal and Toronto.

This year’s stars were vocalist Mane Galoyan (age 16) , cellist Hayk Sukiasyan (age 15), duduk player Norayr Gapoyan (age 16), violinist Hrayr Karapetyan (age 18), pianist Hripsime Aghakaryan (age 17) , and oboist Mane Harutyunian (age 22).

In an impressive display of virtuosity, they performed to a diverse repertoire of Western classical pieces by Beethoven, Bizet, Colin, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Armenian compositions by Babadjanian, Baghdasaryan and Komitas, to name a few.

The program culminated in a well-deserved standing ovation, which produced a graceful rendition of Babajanian’s Vocalise, especially arranged in a quintet format for the YerazArt artists.

“We are thrilled at the crowd’s response”, YerazArt concert tour manager Apo Ashjian was quoted saying. “This is very rewarding, both for the musicians and for all those involved in making this tour happen.”

This is the fifth consecutive North American concert tour sponsored by the YerazArt Foundation, a Boston-based non-profit organization co-founded by entrepreneurs Noubar Afeyan and Raffi Festekjian in 2004. The mission of YerazArt is to nurture, to support and to promote young musical talents from Armenia through assistance with professional development, participation in international competitions, and the organization of an annual concert tour.

This year’s Boston concert was sponsored by the Khatchig Babikian Fund and organized by the St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School of Watertown (MA). All proceeds from the event benefitted the school.

September 1, 2008

Contact: Raffi Meneshian
Email: yerazart@gmail.com
URL: www.yerazart.org

YerazArt Young Musicians from Armenia to Embark on North American Tour

September 28- October 8, 2008

Boston, MA: The YerazArt Foundation, a Boston-based 501 c (3) non-profit arts organization, will send its critically acclaimed YerazArt Young Musicians from Armenia group on tour for a series of four concerts across North America from September 28 to October 8, 2008. Six prodigious musicians from the ancient South Caucasus nation will present the music of their homeland in a blend of indigenous and Western classical music. The aim of the tour is to connect North American audiences and music enthusiasts with one of the world’s oldest musical legacies in addition to giving an opportunity for the YerazArt musicians to experience the thrill of live performances in acclaimed venues. Cities included on the tour are Los Angeles/Glendale, Toronto, Montreal, and Boston/Watertown.

“The Fall 2008 tour will focus on Armenia’s brightest young talents in addition to the folk and classical traditions of their homeland, “ stated YerazArt Executive Director Raffi Meneshian. “ For all of the musicians, this tour is especially exciting as they many will be performing in the United States for the first time”

Partially inspired by Yo Yo Ma’s “Silk Road Project”, the YerazArt performance has distinct lineage to the groundbreaking project initiated by the internationally renowned cellist. Fifteen year old YerazArt duduk player (an Armenian oboe made of apricot wood) Arsen Petrosyan is a student of duduk master Gevork Dabaghyan, a featured “Silk Road Project” participant and leader of the Armenia’s Shoghaken Ensemble. Most recently, Petrosyan was featured at the UNESCO festival in 2007.

Another rising start to watch is seventeen year old kanoon and piano sensation Anahit Dilbaryan. A current student at Komitas Conservatory in Yerevan, Dilbaryan was featured on the PRI/BBC produced radio program “The World” hosted by Marco Werman in 2007 while on tour in the United States. Born in Spitak, Armenia, Dilbaryan’s dual role at kanoonist/pianist has delighted audiences across the US with many being drawn to her fiery style of performance.

Also featured on the tour are thirteen year old violinist Naira Grigoryan and fifteen year old Armenian folk singer Hovhannes Aleksanyan. The talents of nineteen year old multiple award-winning young cellist Vardan Gasparyan will also be on display as he performs Alexander Haryutunyan’s “Exprompt” among other classics. Lastly, this year YerazArt is proud to present twenty year old classical guitar/flamenco firebrand Vahan Davtyan to the stage as he performs works by Paco de Lucia, Paco Pena, and Armenian folk music as transcribed by Iakovos Kolanian.

A recently recorded CD of the YerazArt tour members entitled “Seeds 2” will be available at each concert, in addition to promotional DVD’s which present the YerazArt program. Featured on the DVD are National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia’s Artistic Director Aram Gharabekian, Shoghaken Ensemble master duduk player Gevorg Dabaghyan, and world music artist/composer Ara Gevorgyan, in addition to interviews with YerazArt co-founders Raffi Festekjian and Noubar Afeyan.

Please visit www.yerazart.org for details on ticketing and how you can support the program.

************************************************************************

The concert tour is sponsored in part by the YerazArt Foundation, a 501 c (3) non-profit organization whose mission is to promote, encourage, and support talented young local Armenian musicians by providing them concert tours, master classes with internationally known teachers, support in international competitions, tuition relief, and musical instrument purchase program. YerazArt was co-founded in 2004 by entrepreneurs Noubar Afeyan (Flagship Ventures) and Raffi Festekjian (PCi Wiz). In 2006, CEO/Founder of Pomegranate Music (www.pomegranatemusic.com) Raffi Meneshian was hired as Executive Director with Komitas String Quartet and Hover Chamber Choir Manager Arman Padaryan on board as Armenia Country Director.

Sunday, September 28, 2008, 7:30pm
Alex Theatre
North Brand Boulevard
Glendale , CA 91203 USA
Co-Presented by Infinite Echo Entertainment
Contact: Zoe Kevork
Phone: 818-761-4204
Online: www.itsmyseat.com

Friday, October 3, 2008, 8pm
Glenn Gould Studio
250 Front Street West
Toronto , ON M5V 3G5 CANADA
Co-Presented by Infinite Echo Entertainment
Contact: Zoe Kevork
Phone: 416.497.4137

Sunday, October 5, 2008
Salle Claude- Champagne
220, avenue Vincent-d’Indy
Montreal , QC H2V 2T2 CANADA
Co-Presented by Cathedrale Armenienne St.-Gregoire I’lluminateur
Contact: Marguerite Kazarian
Phone: 514-279-3066

Wednesday, October 8, 2008, 7pm
Arsenal Center for the Arts
Charles Mosesian Theater
321 Arsenal Street
Watertown , MA 02472 USA
Contact: Joshua Tevekelian
Phone: 617924-7562 or 617-926-9169