On September 22, Komitas Chamber Music Hall of Yerevan hosted the solemn opening ceremony of the Festival of the Duduk and Other Armenian Musical Instruments. The festival is part of the “My Armenia” Pan-Armenian Festival organized by the RA Ministry of Diaspora.

The 2016 “My Armenia” Pan-Armenian Festival is being held under the high patronage of the President of the Republic of Armenia and is dedicated to the 25^th anniversary of Independence of the Republic of Armenia.

The concert began with a performance of Aram Khachaturian’s “Lezginka” by the Orchestra of National Instruments of Armenia led by artistic director and Merited Artist of the Republic of Armenia Norayr Davtyan.

Merited Artist of the Republic of Armenia Gevorg Dabaghyan gave a performance, after which the students of the Gevorg Dabaghyan Duduk School of Gavar performed a series of Armenian folk melodies.

The trio of child dudukists (Gagik Sahakyan, Tatul Hambardzumyan and Gevorg Stepanyan) gave a performance. The dudukists’ teacher is Zhirayr Harutyunyan.

Valery Nam and Yura Sargsyan (Russia), Ivane Mkrtchyan (Georgia), Eduard Jerjiyan and Madiana Torosyan (Canada), George Vanesian (Syria), Hakob Babayan, Norayr Sahakyan, Hamlet Dashyan and Sedrak Avagyan (Artsakh), as well as other musicians from Armenia performed Armenian folk and ethnographic songs and the works of great Armenian composers and troubadours, including Aram Khachaturian, Sayat-Nova, Arno Babajanyan, Aleksey Hekimyan, Khachatur Avetisyan and Ashugh Ashot). Melodies for the duduk were performed for the first time ever.

Expressing gratitude to the German nation and Berlin’s Bundestag for adopting the resolution condemning the Armenian Genocide on 18 June 2016, master of ceremonies Sargis Najaryan called German dudukists Soren Birke (accompanied by Uve Fisher, Axel Lorenz and composer Dirk Mikaelis) and Gregor Schulenberg to the stage.

Sayat-Nova’s “Lalanin” and “Broi-Broi” were performed by the Canon Players Ensemble of Armenia led by artistic director and People’s Artist of the Republic of Armenia Hasmik Leyloyan.

The event included screenings of videos devoted to the creation and history of ancient Armenian instruments, including the duduk, the canon and the bagpipe.

On September 23, the participants of the Duduk Festival will give a concert in Talin, and the solemn closing ceremony of the festival will be held on September 24 in Gavar.

The participants of the festival will visit the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, the National Gallery of Armenia, the pagan temple in Garni and Geghard Monastery. They will also lay flowers near the tomb of Mesrop Mashtots in Oshakan and will visit the monument to National Hero of the Republic of Armenia Tatul Krpeyan in Yerevan.