On March 23-25, the Margarita Jirgu Theater of Buenos Aires hosted the “Music of Memory” Festival dedicated to the 40^th anniversary of the elimination of the coup d’etat and dictatorship in Argentina. The festival was organized by cultural figure Jorge Sad, reports Argentine-Armenian dudukist Gagik Gasparyan to Hayern Aysor. Gasparyan also participated in the festival, representing Armenia.

“The festival brought together renowned musicians based in Argentina. They performed the national music of Argentina and recited poems. Taking the opportunity, I performed Komitas’s songs “Chinar Es”, “Hov Arek” and “Garun A” and French-Armenian composer Marina Kristina’s song “The Soul of an Armenian” or the foreign audience. I dedicated my performances to the 101^st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. I spoke out about that after my performances and presented information about the Armenian Genocide,” Gagik Gasparyan said in an interview with Hayern Aysor.

On the sidelines of the festival, the dudukist also held a nearly 4-hour training course devoted to the history of Armenian music and Armenian brass instruments for 30 students and professors of the conservatory of the Moron district of Buenos Aires.

“Besides the lectures, I also played different musical instruments. As the foreigners listened to pure Armenian music, they expressed their words of admiration and thanked me for disseminating Armenian culture in Argentina and for providing them with the opportunity to become familiar with Armenian music. One of the attendees told me that the Argentines ��?feel’ the history of the Armenian people spanning millennia when they listen to the music performed on Armenian musical instruments. One of the girls noted that the sounds of the duduk have pacified her soul so much and have had such an impact on her that it seems as though she is listening to the voice of the world and has been transported to an ancient era,” Gagik Gasparyan concluded.