Iranian Armenian composer Loris Tjeknavorian, 82, has been selected as the winner of the Books for Peace Awards 2020, Tehran Times reports.

He had first received the nomination in May from Iran’s Art for Peace Festival, which had nominated him for the 2019 edition of the awards.

The winners will be honored during a special ceremony on September 12 in Rome, Italy. 

The Books for Peace Awards was launched in 2017 in a project by FUNVIC (Fundação Universitária Vida Cristã), UNESCO BFUCA-WFUCA Brazil club, Section Europe, and ANASPOL (Local Police) to honor works promoting peace through culture and words, not only as a concept between nations at war, but also among all individuals living in the world.

The Art for Peace Festival, which is held every year in Tehran, is concerned with world peace and environmental issues such as the water crisis in the country. 

The festival showcases a variety of artworks by Iranian and international artists in the media of painting, photo, sculpture, graphic design, installation, video art, cinema and theater to promote the culture of peace and a world without violence.

Every year the organizers also honor an individual who has made a significant contribution to peace with a medal.

Tjeknavorian has created one of the most memorable pieces of his life during the home quarantine.

He said that he has worked on a special piece over the past four months for which he has not selected a name as yet.

“It is the outcome of contemplation and mediation during the home quarantine. I believe it will be one of the most memorable works of my professional life,” he had said.
 
“The pandemic has caused great losses for musicians, however, it has also provided great opportunities for them to create new and innovative works in their solitude during the home quarantine,” he noted. 

Earlier in April Tjeknavorian released a 12-minute composition named “Corona”. The piece was composed in three movements named “Assault”, “Death” and “Life”.

“The first step to fight the coronavirus is to observe all the health tips to get rid of this new disease soon, but as long as this situation continues we should try to do our best. If we are artists or musicians we need to work harder, and if not, we need to increase our personal knowledge,” he said at that time.