“Hayern Aysor”’s correspondent sat down for an interview with Advisor to the RA Minister of Diaspora in the Armenian community of Australia, well-known singer, philologist, Edward Darbinyan.

“Hayern Aysor”: Welcome to the Homeland! Was it the longing that brought you, or is this a business trip?

Edward Darbinyan: If we can consider preparations for my return as business, then yes, this is a business trip. I have come to renovate my house so that my family and I can return to the Homeland in a couple of years. I actually never left for good. I simply left to work in radio and television for four years, after which I stayed for quite a long time because the living and working conditions were superb. At the time, Armenia couldn’t provide me with those conditions. I have never given up my Armenian citizenship. I haven’t been in the country, but my songs have been played and are played on Armenian radio and television. Let’s consider this a temporary absence.

“Hayern Aysor”: Mr. Darbinyan, Armenians always remember your unique performances, especially your performances of Jivani’s songs. You perform the songs of many composers and troubadours and folk songs, but you obviously have preferred composers and troubadours…

E. D.: Jivani is exactly my favorite. He is different from other troubadours with his feeling of national values. That’s why Jivani is the closest to my heart. Seeing and feeling the Homeland from different angles and doing everything to serve for national preservation-all this is strongly expressed in Jivani’s songs. I must say that I don’t pay much attention to the topic of a song. You don’t have to sing patriotic songs to be patriotic. Jivani is perhaps the best troubadour who was able to show the power of spirit of the Armenian people and the spirit as a whole. For me, Jivani is an eternal asset. Singing is not just leisure. It’s an asset, and if I can present it with mastery, it means I am accomplishing Jivani’s mission. Jivani serves as a channel between God and life, and I am the “trumpet player” between the worldly and heavenly greats.

“Hayern Aysor”: What does singing mean to you?

E. D.: As I already mentioned, singing has never been leisure for me. Moreover, it has mostly been suffering. It is a pain for me to see how people view the arts as leisure. Singing is a way of preserving your type and national identity. I have never sung to make a lot of money. I have never taken and never take one penny of the proceeds from my concerts in Armenia. If I sold a certain amount of tickets during my recent concerts, it was only to cover the expenses for the concert. I distributed tickets to those who would approach me and tell me that they were my fans, but couldn’t afford to buy them. Some people came to my concert with invitations. People simply want to listen to songs. How can you take money from someone who wants to listen to songs, especially here and in this period? It would be different, if I lived and worked in Armenia and had to take care of my family. A person has to do something that will benefit the society and the people. Conscientious people should raise their level of awareness and the level of awareness of the people around them with the job that they do.

“Hayern Aysor”: When did you start singing? What made you decide to become a singer?

E. D.: My family members weren’t singers and musicians, but they knew the value of songs. My father would bring discs from Yerevan so that I would listen to them. Later, he would check to see if I understood the words. I am a philologist. During my years of study to obtain a PhD, I had the desire to sing. It was that moment when I made the right decision.

“Hayern Aysor”: Did those years coincide with the years of the national movement and renaissance?

E. D.: Historical shifts are always preceded by spiritual shifts, and that prepares one for a powerful national rebirth and movement psychologically. During those years, radio stations would broadcast some patriotic songs, but they wouldn’t broadcast patriotic and revolutionary songs. One of those songs was Peto’s song called “Garahisar”. In the late 1980s, Flora Martirosyan and I changed the name of the song and called it the “Song of the Hero” and performed it on the occasion of the victory over Fascist Germany on 9 May (of course, the goal was to perform that song, even if it had a different name). After that, we took more daring steps and openly performed the song “Dzayn M’ Hnchets”.

“Hayern Aysor”: Who was your music teacher in terms of academics? Who were the first people to broadcast your songs that made you more popular?

E. D.: I had two teachers. The first was my persistence and determination, and the second was the kind people whom I met and who appreciated the arts and who helped broadcast my songs for the first time. I can’t forget Luiza Simonyan, Dalya Vardapetyan and a director by the name of Seda. Dalya loved Flora Martirosyan and always broadcasted her songs. I started singing with Flora during concerts. At the time, performing with Flora Martirosyan was considered the first precondition for success.

“Hayern Aysor”: Could you consider them years of advancement?

E. D.: For me, advancement is an atypical concept. Nature knows best. I was simply lucky to be the one to perform those songs during those years. I wasn’t the only supporter of the national renaissance in the arts and culture during those years. There was the Akunk Ethnographic Group, the Chamber Orchestra led by Edgar Hovhannisyan and then the Maratuk Ensemble. At the time, patriotic songs played a huge role and made people think about patriotism and independence, but today, singers perform songs that are more about love and life. Patriotism doesn’t play a huge role anymore because the world has become very materialistic. We often see singers who can’t even pronounce the words correctly, move frantically on stage, scream, shout and, I apologize, but the audience is often unconsciously entertained. I say this with regret.

“Hayern Aysor”: How was it that you assumed the obligations of the advisor to the RA Minister of Diaspora in Australia?

E. D.: Before assuming the task, I was already involved in efforts aimed at preserving the Armenian identity in Australia. When I first came to Australia, there was no daily Armenian radio station. Archimandrite Anton Tutunjian and I created the “Tsiatsan” daily Armenian radio station, which has been broadcasting Armenian songs and news from Armenia for the past 18 years. We used to teach Armenian songs and give Armenian language lessons on the radio. Another important task was the program called “Musical Conversations”, which was the longest running music program in the history of Australia. However, it was cancelled because I would always go off topic. The program was in Armenian, but when we would talk about great Armenians like Aram Khachaturian, the text would always be translated into English. Unfortunately, the program ended after five or six years. I have also organized many events for national preservation and have given lectures for teachers.

I started working with the RA Ministry of Diaspora on the day marking my 60^th birthday in 2010. RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan became familiar with the activities that I have carried out abroad, granted me the Komitas Medal of the RA Ministry of Diaspora and surprised me by assigning me to become her advisor. My collaboration with the RA Ministry of Diaspora had a great and positive impact. It helped consolidate all the organizations that had been working separately until its establishment.

…We organized a concert dedicated to Komitas on the occasion of the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide at a church, but many people didn’t like the idea because they couldn’t imagine hearing songs other than liturgies at a church. However, they couldn’t find the words to express their admiration after the concert.

The RA Ministry of Diaspora is very generous towards the Armenian communities in the Diaspora. The ministry served as a new impetus for the flourishing of the Australian-Armenian community.

“Hayern Aysor”: Are there Armenian schools? Do they have a lot of students?

We have three Armenian schools, including the Grigor Lusavorich School, the Hamazkayin School and the AGBU School (many other communities have only Sunday schools). Unfortunately, the Grigor Lusavorich School was closed down, and now there is only the Hamazkayin School and the AGBU school with 28 students. This is how things have regressed over the past 20 years. There are 8-9,000 Armenians in Sydney, but some families have an English mindset, and the schools only have three subjects devoted to Armenia and the Armenians. If there are 13 Armenian students in class, they can demand an Armenian language teacher. For instance, there are 26 Armenians in my daughter’s class, but it was impossible to convince any of them to come together and demand an Armenian language teacher. Many parents said a Sunday school is enough for their children. Whether we like it or not, assimilation is in progress. However, the collaboration with the ministry helped us make some progress.

“Hayern Aysor”: Are there Australian-Armenians who will continue to sing your songs?

E. D.: I took advantage of every opportunity, but the people are more interested in songs about life.

“Hayern Aysor”: You said you’re building a house. Why are you building a house in Ujan?

E. D.: I wanted to build a house in a peaceful area, live next to the good type of Armenians, plant a tree, have a garden and always be in contact with nature. I do yoga, and the area is very important for that. I’m writing two books devoted to yoga, one of which is about practical yoga. An important part of that lies in rejection of the ego and in unity.

“Hayern Aysor”: What community service do you do to make a living in Sydney?

E. D.: I work for one of the local district councils.

“Hayern Aysor”: Which of your family members will follow in your footsteps?

E. D.: My daughter, Nare Darbinyan has graduated from Sydney Conservatory and is an opera singer.

“Hayern Aysor”: And my last question. What does the Homeland mean to you?

E. D.: For me, the Homeland is the land, history, war, victory, song, a painting, a gorge, a mountain, a fountain, a tree…I’m a part of my Homeland.

Karine Avagyan