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Friday, April 23, 2004
BAYRAKDARIAN DEBUT AT AGBU AND HAMAZGAYIN-SPONSORED EVENING IN YEREVAN
IS SOLD-OUT
New York – Isabel Bayrakdarian performed on April 20, 2004, at
Yerevan’s Khachaturian Concert Hall under the direction of Armenian
Philharmonic Orchestra (APO) Conductor, Eduard Topchjan. The
AGBU-sponsored APO and Hamazgayin jointly organized the sold-out
evening attended by President Robert Kocharian, His Holiness Karekin
II, government ministers, foreign embassy representatives and leading
Armenian cultural personalities.
The Armenian Canadian soprano performed a program of arias from
popular operas, including Rossini’s “Barber of Seville and Dikranian’s
“Anoush” opera, as well as an array of Armenian chamber pieces.
Internationally known, Bayrakdarian first enchanted opera lovers in
New York where she won the Metropolitan Opera prize in 1997. She has
performed with many of the leading opera companies in Brussels, New
York, Paris, Salzburg and Toronto. She has also performed on the
Grammy Award winning soundtracks of the movies, “The Lord of the
Rings” and “The Two Towers”.
Impressed by the APO’s professionalism, Bayrakdarian thanked the
audience with heart-felt emotion for what proved to be a special
experience for her. “Though I have sung in many places, I am feeling
this joy for the first time. It feels great to sing in my homeland and
to sing for people who are very dear to me. I wish to hug each of you
present in the hall and to kiss Armenian land,” she said.
The Bayrakdarian concert is the latest in a season of AGBU-sponsored
performances. This year, productions of “Gayaneh” and “Anoush” by the
National Theatre of Opera and Ballet were made possible through grants
provided by AGBU. While the “Gayaneh” ballet premiered April 4,
“Anoush” will be performed on May 8.
AGBU has been a proud sponsor of APO since 1993 and continues to
champion the finest in Armenian cultural talent around the world. For
more information on AGBU cultural programs, please visit