Song and Dance Diplomacy

This is what I've been working on lately... bringing a group of 90 Turkish citizens to Armenia for a concert! (see the oddly designed poster poster and our press announcement below)

Yerevan, Armenia- The Istanbul-based Sayat Nova Choir and Kardeş Türküler musical ensemble will perform at the Aram Khachaturyan Concert Hall in Yerevan, Armenia at 7:00 pm on Friday, December 12. The concert is part of a cultural exchange between Armenia and Turkey organized by Eurasia Partnership Foundation and made possible by funding from USAID. The groups will also perform in Vanadzor at Charles Aznavour Culture Palace on December 13.

In Yerevan Sayat Nova and Kardeş Türküler will perform together Turkish, Armenian, Kurdish, Georgian, Arabic, Gypsy and Laz songs including the well-known Ov Hayots Ashkharh, Krunk, Bingyol, Ya Hawa, Kamancha, Medet, Cilicia, Ella Ella, Demme and others.

Kardeş Türküler came into being in 1993, as a concert project by the Boğaziçi University Folklore Club which aimed to interpret folksongs of peoples living in Turkey in their original languages. First they preformed Turkish, Kurdish, Azerbaijani and Armenian songs. Later, the Kardeş Türküler project broadened its repertoire to include songs from other cultures such as Laz, Georgian, Circassian, Roma, Macedonian and Alevi. The last album of Kardeş Türküler, "Bahar" (Spring), was released in 2005. More information on Kardeş Türküler can be found on their website: http://www.kardesturkuler.com/en/

The Sayat Nova Choir came into existence on April 24, 1971 under the roof of the Holy Yerits Mangants Church. Apart from performing as a choir, to the group also studies and interprets Armenian folk music. The Sayat Nova Choir formed its own orchestra in 1992 and now has over 60 permanent members. Since 2004, the choir is conducted by Melikcan Zaman, a former chorister of the Sayat Nova Children’s and Juvenile Choir. More information on Sayat Nova can be found on: http://www.sayatnova.org/

“This is a unique concert by a unique group. What started as a students’ volunteer exercise in the national and ethnic music of Turkey became one of the leading bands in traditional ethnic music and dance not only in Turkey but also outside its borders. The concert will give its Armenian audience a chance to experience traditional music from the many ethnic minorities that live in Turkey and will enrich Armenia’s knowledge of Turkey today. We believe cultural dialogue between a variety of nationalities which live in these two countries will complement the dialogue going on between the two countries on the official and non-official levels.,” says Gevorg Ter-Gabrielyan, Eurasia Partnership Foundation Country Director in Armenia.

The Aram Khachaturyan Music Hall is located at 46 Mashtots Avenue. Concert tickets are available free of charge from the Box Office of the Aram Khachaturyan Music Hall, as well as from concert manager Arman Padaryan, by phone at (091) 43-24-80. In Vanadzor invitation tickets are available from organizers by phone at (0322) 2-04-88.