AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Website: www.agbu.org

PRESS RELEASE

Wednesday, June 6, 2018

AGBU EUROPE MARKS THE CENTENNIAL OF THE FIRST REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA WITH MUSICAL 
WEEKEND IN BRUSSELS

From June 1 to 3, the city of Brussels was captivated by a multi-genre Musical 
Weekend organized by the Performing Arts Department of AGBU France/Europe in 
partnership with the Boghossian Foundation, the City of Brussels and the 
Armenian community of Belgium.  

The three-day concert was inspired by the 100th anniversary of the First 
Republic of Armenia, an historical milestone in the Armenian Nation's long road 
to independent statehood. "Since Armenia's rebirth in 1991, it has showcased to 
the world the depth and breadth of the musical achievements of its people. This 
concert series has crystalized those achievements all in one weekend," remarked 
Nicolas Tavitian, the director of AGBU Europe, when noting the considerable 
turnout at all three of the weekend's events.

Together with AGBU Performing Arts Department of France, AGBU Europe assembled 
a roster of some of the best musicians of a generation, many whose talents were 
originally cultivated in Armenia. A new AGBU string ensemble, a classical piano 
trio and a jazz band played on successive nights, displaying their mastery of 
their respective genres. 

The entire weekend also served as a fundraiser to benefit the afterschool 
programs of the AGBU Children's Centers in Yerevan Armenia. "After 25 years of 
providing Armenia's youth with character-building and self-discovery programs 
through arts and sports, these centers are long overdue for a major renewal-not 
only to expand and upgrade interior space but also to enhance teaching 
proficiencies and enrich curricula," explained Karen Papazian, back at the AGBU 
Central Office in New York. As the director of Global Outreach and Development, 
she pointed out that "Armenia's youth deserve to thrive in a safe and nurturing 
environment. And no doubt, some of these children will grow up to follow in the 
footsteps of rising stars like those who performed this weekend."

The concert series began Friday evening at the Brussels Town Hall, one of 
Belgium's most magnificent Gothic buildings. Opening remarks made by officials 
and dignitaries spoke to the significance of the occasion. H.E. Tatul 
Margaryan, Armenia's Ambassador to Belgium, stated, "On May 28, one hundred 
years ago, our nation restored its millenia-old state by declaring the birth of 
the First Republic of Armenia. Although the First Republic faced numerous 
challenges and was short lived, it laid the foundation for the establishment 
and development of state institutions and democratic governance."

He was followed by Philippe Close, the mayor of Brussels, who referred to the 
turbulent context in which the Republic of 1918 was founded, citing the fall of 
the Ottoman empire, the chaos of the Russian revolution and the admission of 
hundreds of thousands of genocide survivors. The mayor also highlighted the 
will of the City of Brussels to collaborate with Armenian organizations to host 
this important cultural event, noting that "culture is the best expression of a 
people's vitality and of its presence in the world."

Stepan Mirdikian, a former chairman of the Armenian community of Belgium also 
added words of inspiration. Quoting Ernest Renan, he mentioned, "What 
constitutes a nation is not so much speaking the same language or belonging to 
the same ethnic group, it is to have accomplished together great things in the 
past and to want to accomplish more in the future."

On opening night, the AGBU String Ensemble[CE1], took to the stage to perform 
under the direction of young composer Alexandr Iradyan, who conducted the very 
first concert of the ensemble which interpreted the powerful and emblematic 
Symphony for Strings and Timpani, by Mirzoyan along with selected works by 
Komitas.

The following evening, the diverse audience of Armenians and non-Armenians 
gathered at the Ceremonial Hall of the Boghossian Foundation Villa Empain for 
the performance of pianist Varduhi Yeritsyan, known for her vast and diverse 
repertoire. She performed along with the Brussels based brothers Hrachya 
Avanesyan (violin) and Sevak Avanesyan (cello). The trio performed the works of 
Shostakovich and Babajanian as well as a number of encore pieces by Komitas 
following the wide public acclaim. 

Sunday's performance at the same venue featured the contemporary works of 
Yessaï Karapetyan Trio, a jazz ensemble led by pianist Yessai Karapetyan, a 
gifted musician who performs on the most prestigious jazz stages in Europe. 
Yessaï was accompanied by Sylvain Fournet-Fayas on double bass and David Paycha 
on drums. 

Nadia Gortzounian, the president of AGBU France, hailed the event as a 
"brilliant" weekend. "I was thrilled to see such a high level of attendance at 
each of our three events and I am profoundly grateful to all the immensely 
talented musicians for their extraordinary performances. It was also a pleasure 
to collaborate with the City of Brussels, the Armenian community of Belgium and 
the Boghossian Foundation that allowed us to host our concerts in the 
particularly magical setting of the Villa Empain in Brussels."  

She went on to say, "It was a heartwarming and inspiring experience to see just 
how far the Armenian Nation has come since the First Republic, as we contribute 
to world culture through the arts."

Established in 1906, AGBU (www.agbu.org) is the world's largest non-profit 
Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU preserves and 
promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through educational, cultural and 
humanitarian programs, annually touching the lives of some 500,000 Armenians 
around the world.
 
For more information about AGBU and its worldwide programs, please visit 
www.agbu.org.