Canadian composer Ron Hannah has composed an opera devoted to Saint Gregory the Illuminator. The performance of the first act in Armenia will be held at Hakob Paronyan State Musical Comedy Theater on 3 April. The opera is devoted to St. Gregory the Illuminator and is a reflection of the years that the latter spent in the Deep Dungeon, reported culture.am.

To stage the opera, representatives of the Foundation for Support to Cultural Education, authors and conductor Harutyun Arzumanyan held auditions at art and music schools and other educational institutions in Yerevan and Armenia’s provinces. Based on the results, they selected musicians of a chamber orchestra, two groups of actors, as well as a dance group composed of students of Yerevan State Dance School and a choir comprising students of Yerevan Spendiaryan Music School. The performance is dedicated to the 25^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations of the Republic of Armenia with the Republic of Austria and Canada. The “Illuminator” opera is the joint project of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Armenia and the Foundation for Support to Cultural Education.