ARMENIAN CHOIRS TO JOIN INTERNATIONAL FEDERATIONS OF CHORAL MUSIC SOON

Noyan Tapan
April 7, 2008

YEREVAN, APRIL 7, NOYAN TAPAN. The Singing Armenia 3rd republican
contest of youth and children’s choirs will be beld in Armenia on the
initiative of the RA Ministry of Culture, the Musical Association of
Armenia, and Little Singers of Armenia association, for the purpose
of promoting, developing, and spreading youth and children’s choir
music and in general choral art in Armenia.

As David Ghazarian, the Chairman of the Musical Association of Armenia,
said at the April 7 press conference, 113 children’s and youth
choirs of Armenia’s, Artsakh’s, and Javakhk’s comprehensive, music,
and art schools will take part in this contest organized for already
the 3rd time. The first, regional stage of the Singing Armenia youth
and children’s two-stage contest will be held on April 11-25 and the
republican stage on May 3-4.

According to David Ghazarian, choral art is at a very low level
in comprehensive schools. "I wish besides singing teachers,
choir-master-teachers also worked in schools, and were paid like
teachers," the Musical Association Chairman emphasized.

Jean-Claude Wilkens, the Secretary General of the International
Federation for Choral Music, and Sonya Grayner, the Secretary General
of the European Federation, who are in Yerevan in these days and were
present at the press conference, said that scientific-medical studies
made it clear that singing children have a higher immune system,
"they do well also in other school subjects, are more sociable,
and have positive energy."

The foreign guests said that in countries having the most
developed economy choral art is not developed. To convince cultural
responsibles in something is rather difficult in such countries:
"in such countries rich benefactors just create their personal
cultural funds and support art development." They affirmed that in
countries having a less developed economy there is much interest in
choral art. According to studies, the greatest number of choirs in
the world exists in Scandinavian countries, including Sweden, Finland,
as well as Baltic states.

David Ghazarian said that Armenian choirs are likely to join
authoritative international music structures soon, and negotiations
over it are underway at present.