On September 27, RA Acting Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan received the participants of the “Armenian Song Day” concert held at Komitas Chamber Music Hall on September 26. The concert is part of the “My Armenia” Pan-Armenian Festival.

Greeting the guests, Hranush Hakobyan expressed gratitude for their wonderful performances and particularly stated the following: “I think it is very important that the concert was held on Komitas’s birthday. We paid our respects and tribute to the great artist with that concert. The participation of international performers was also very important. I am certain that you will have a stronger connection to Armenian songs by being in touch with Armenia and the Armenian people.”

Afterwards, the attendees expressed their gratitude and stressed that they were very emotional and impressed with Armenia, the people and the country’s cultural monuments.

Swedish composer and singer Christer Vikmark expressed his emotions and said the following:  “I am pleased with the fact that I was introduced to Komitas’s songs due to circumstances. Being in Armenia, I had a deep understanding of the love and tenderness in his songs. No matter how much you try to interpret music from a distance, only in the homeland of the composer will you be able to know him or her better and have a better understanding. Armenia is a country with an ancient culture, and I would like to ask Armenians to preserve the old buildings of Yerevan better. They bear the traces and beauty of the past.”

Karine Hellman-Kevorkian (Stockholm), Adel Azroyan (Moscow), Betina Hovsepian (Tehran) and Sar Sargsyan (Hadrut, NKR) also shared their impressions.

Pianist Irena Kofman (Miami) expressed her deep respect towards the Armenian people and culture and particularly Komitas and stated that, after all this, she feels Armenian and will continue to learn more about Armenian music. She added that the University of Florida, which is where she works, provides scholarships to gifted youth and that she would be happy to see talented Armenian students among them.

Summing up the meeting, Acting Minister Hranush Hakobyan wished the artists a safe trip and a happy return and assured that the Ministry of Diaspora would do everything possible to make sure the future festivals are more inclusive and sensational.