Five Ducks


Raffi Kavukian "Five Ducks", accompanied by pianist Liana Torosyan.
The children, along with singer and songwriter Hasmik Baghdasaryan-Dolukhanyan, perform songs by contemporary Armenian composers, folk songs, and songs by Komitas. Hasmik Baghdasaryan-Dolukhanyan aims to popularize children's songs by contemporary composers through children's performances.

Zmpik zmpik


Folk song "Zmpik zmpik", accompanied by pianist Liana Torosyan.
The children, along with singer and songwriter Hasmik Baghdasaryan-Dolukhanyan, perform songs by contemporary Armenian composers, folk songs, and songs by Komitas. Hasmik Baghdasaryan-Dolukhanyan aims to popularize children's songs by contemporary composers through children's performances.

 

Light Has Opened


The music for the song "Light Has Opened" is by Argina Harutyunyan, accompanied by pianist Liana Torosyan. The children, together with singer and songwriter Hasmik Baghdasaryan-Dolukhanyan, perform songs by contemporary Armenian composers, folk songs, and songs by Komitas. Hasmik Baghdasaryan-Dolukhanyan aims to popularize children's songs by contemporary composers through children's performances. Puppet master Aghasi Melkonyan, by staging a small performance with the participation of children, makes the song more vivid and interesting.

"Kele, kele"


Komitas "Kele, kele", accompanied by pianist Liana Torosyan. The children, together with singer and songwriter Hasmik Baghdasaryan-Dolukhanyan, perform songs by contemporary Armenian composers, folk songs, and songs by Komitas. Hasmik Baghdasaryan-Dolukhanyan aims to popularize children's songs by contemporary composers through children's performances. Puppet master Aghasi Melkonyan, by staging a small performance with the participation of children, makes the song more vivid and interesting.

Two Cats


The music for the song "Two Cats" is by Robert Petrosyan, accompanied by pianist Liana Torosyan.
The children, together with singer and songwriter Hasmik Baghdasaryan-Dolukhanyan, perform songs by contemporary Armenian composers, folk songs, and songs by Komitas. Hasmik Baghdasaryan-Dolukhanyan aims to popularize children's songs by contemporary composers through children's performances. Puppet master Aghasi Melkonyan, by staging a small performance with the participation of children, makes the song more vivid and interesting.
 

The Clock


The music for the song “Clock” is by Geghuni Chtchyan, accompanied by pianist Liana Torosyan.
The children, along with singer and songwriter Hasmik Baghdasaryan-Dolukhanyan, perform songs by contemporary Armenian composers, folk songs, and songs by Komitas. Hasmik Baghdasaryan-Dolukhanyan aims to popularize children’s songs by contemporary composers through children’s performances.
 

Nothing is new under the sun: part 2


Khoren I Muradbekyan: Catholicos of All Armenians was elected in 1932. From the day of the election, he was under the control of punitive bodies. During the investigation of the clergy, the task was to collect discrediting information about him and put pressure on the Catholicos. First, the Catholicos' brother, Levon Muradbekyan, was arrested and shot. The same fate befell his other brother, Sergey Muradbekyan, an employee of the Margara customs house. In 1938, Muradbekyan, Catholicos of All Armenians, also became a victim of terrorism organized by the authorities, being killed in the Veharan.
Source: RA Ministry of Internal Affairs, National Archives and National Archives
 

Armenia has chosen the winner of the prestigious Goncourt literary prize


Last year, Armenia selected its laureate of the prestigious Goncourt literary prize, French-Rwandan writer and singer Gael Fay, for his new novel Jacaranda. With this, Armenia officially became the 39th country to join the international Goncourt selection with its student jury and gain the opportunity to participate in global literary processes. At the Francofest, which will take place on November 15, Nymeg will present the Armenian edition of Jacaranda. Anahit Margaryan spoke with Ani Hakobyan, head of literary programs at Nymeg Publishing House, and Manu Iritsyan, responsible for multimedia content, about the Goncourt prize, Gael Fay’s bestseller, Francofest, books, printing, and literary marketing at Artfocus.

About one story: Hrant Matevosyan, "The Dogs"


Hrant Matevosyan's story "Dogs" is among his "youthful" works and is somewhat different from the other famous works of the Armenian prose master. The writer uses remarkable stylistic devices here, makes subtle references to other works of Armenian and world literature. Hrant Matevosyan's story "Dogs" is discussed on the "Parallel Readings" program by literary critics Hayk Hambardzumyan and Arkmenik Nikoghosyan.

Nothing is new under the sun: part 1


The Bolshevik authorities launched an active struggle against the church with the church opposition called the “Free Church Brotherhood”. They declared themselves church reformers: they demanded the abolition of the hierarchal order of the Armenian Church, the class of high-ranking spiritual authorities, the order of celibacy, the abdication of the Catholicos of All Armenians and the election of a new Catholicos, who would be “of the people”, finally, “return the church to the believers” and limit the Armenian Church to the borders of Soviet Armenia. The task set before them was, in particular, to collect false accusations against the monks of St. Etchmiadzin and to forge manuscripts. The St. Gregory the Illuminator Church in Yerevan was given to the “Free Church Brotherhood” by the decision of the City Council. This sect did not have a long life. Its leader, Bishop Ashot Shakhyan, in 1927, before his death, wrote a petition to Catholicos Gevorg V, where he confessed the wrongness of his step and asked to return his title. The defrocked bishop dies in solitude, abandoned even by his political patrons.
Source: RA Ministry of Internal Affairs, National Archives and National Archives

The International Organ Music Festival was held for the third time


In 2022, the long-standing dream of the founder of the Armenian organ school, the late Vahagn Stamboltsyan, was realized in Armenia. The International Organ Music Festival was organized on the initiative of the National Center for Chamber Music and with the support of the Armenian Chamber Music Society. This year, the festival is being held for the third time. It kicked off on September 24 with a concert dedicated to Komitas. From September to December, the best masters of organ art perform in Armenia. Art critic Anahit Margaryan spoke with Armen Sukiasyan, artistic director of the International Organ Music Festival and deputy director of the National Center for Chamber Music, about the festival and organ art in “Artfocus”.

Avetik Isahakyan's loves and romance


When talking about Avetik Isahakyan's love poetry, the image of the poet's youthful love, Shushanik, is traditionally emphasized, but there were other sources of inspiration in Isahakyan's life as well. Isahakyan's large-scale letters, especially published in recent years, provide an opportunity to see more clearly the path from emotion to poetry and the real addressees of those poems. In the framework of the "Parallel Readings" program, literary critics Hayk Hambardzumyan and Arkmenik Nikoghosyan discuss these issues.