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PRESS RELEASE
Thursday, July 27, 2006
AGBU-FUNDED APO MARKS 80 YEARS OF SYMPHONIC EXCELLENCE IN ARMENIA
The 2005/2006 season marked the 80th Anniversary of Armenia’s premiere
symphony, the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra (APO). Funded by AGBU
since 1992, the APO began their landmark concert schedule on September
23, 2005 culminating in the 80th Anniversary Concert on June 8, 2006.
Special guest performers and conductors during the 2005/2006 season
included cellist David Geringas of Germany, pianist Paolo Marzocchi of
Italy, conductor Luc Baghdassarian of Switzerland, violinist Jean
Ter-Merguerian of France, violinist Yuka Tsuboi of Japan, pianist
Vladimir Ovchinnikov of Russia, and pianist Gary Barnett of the United
States.
The dream of the APO began on December 10, 1924, when composer
Alexander Spendiarian, newly arrived in Yerevan from Russia, conducted
an 18-member orchestra consisting of conservatory professors and
students. This inaugural concert proved that Armenia had the real
potential to create a symphony and garner an audience in the Armenian
capital. The following year, on March 20, 1925, Professor Arshak
Adamian, Rector of the Yerevan Conservatory, led the first concert of
the newly founded symphony orchestra. At the time, Spendiarian
predicted, "There will come a time, when our yet modest student
orchestra will proudly bear the honorary title of the Armenian State
Orchestra." His dream soon became a reality.
Over the decades, many superior talents graced the APO stage, until
the somber post-Soviet days of the 1990’s when governmental funds for
artistic endeavors ceased, and the formerly state-funded APO faced one
of its greatest financial challenges. As a result, in 1992, AGBU
stepped in to guarantee that one of the country’s cultural treasures
would be preserved and continue to offer high quality performances
during this difficult transitional period and beyond.
In recent years, many international performers, including operatic
sensation Isabel Bayrakdarian, pianist Sergei Babayan, pianist Alexei
Lubimov, baritone Renato Bruson, and conductor Alexander Treger have
shared the stage with the APO, proving the orchestra’s continuing role
as a cultural beacon of artistic excellence.
APO has been primarily subsidized by AGBU since 1992 in recognition of
the importance of the performing arts in Armenia. Annual grants are
allocated for weekly concerts, new instruments, administration, salary
supplements, international guest artists and special festivals. APO
has successfully toured Austria, England, France, Germany, Greece,
Iran, Lebanon, Russia, Turkey, UAE and the United States, and has
produced over a dozen CD recordings. For more information on APO,
please visit
For more information on AGBU and its worldwide programs, please visit