In Concert: 2010 Armenian Youth Talent Armenian News Network / Groong April 8, 2010 Entertainment Wire by Sahan Arzruni NEW YORK, NEW YORK For the second year in a row, a group of young Armenian musicians presented a joint concert at New York's Weill Auditorium at Carnegie Hall. On Monday, (April 5, 2010) some twenty performers gathered on the stage of this prestigious venue to exhibit their considerable instrumental and vocal skills. Co-chaired by Svetlana Amirkhanian and Zarminé Boghosian, event participants were chosen through national auditions. The program, in addition to featuring soloists, included two choral groups - the Hamazkayin `Arekag' Choir and the Holy Martyrs Armenian Day School Choir - that added interest and diversity to the program. Among the young performers, many showed real talent: violinist Ani Helen Sinanyan, and pianist Arianna Mesrobian were particularly noteworthy. The program also included a number of novelties: a performance on the viola da gamba -- a bowed, fretted, stringed instrument held between the knees - executed deftly by Lucine Musaelian and a work by the Greek-Armenian mystic and spiritual teacher George Gurdjieff, whose `Armenian Song' was sensitively played by pianist David Antabian. The rest of the accomplished performers included Lilit and Mariam Vahradyan (violin duet), Shant Arzoumanian (piano), Nicole Nudelman (vocals), Arthur Mouradian (violin), Nareg Balian (piano), Tsovinar Agavian (vocals), Serena Tchorbajian (vocals), Ani Djirdjirian (vocals), Katherine and Nicole Sadaniantz (piano duet), Elen Ohanyan (vocals), Lucy Hovanisyan (piano), Arturo Atoyan (vocals), Steven Kakosyan (piano) and Eugenia Sarian (vocals). Almost all of them presented works by Armenian composers, which in itself was decidedly significant. Dr. Svetlana Amirkhanian, a neurologist, founded the `Armenian Youth Talent' a few years ago in the Diocesan mission parish of Brooklyn, NY, home to a sizable community of emigrants from Azerbaijan and Russia. The parish's Sunday school activities involve, in addition to religious education, introducing young and old to various aspects of Armenian culture. Dr. Amirkhanyan came up with the inspired idea of organizing the school's young Armenian talents and showcasing them to a wider audience. In an audacious leap of faith, she chose Carnegie Hall as the venue, `because the place has a magical name in the music world.' The two-year old project, underwritten by many friends and supporters of the endeavor, presents a number of gifted Armenians on a stage that is shared by many established artists. Quite an auspicious beginning, for sure! -- Master pianist Sahan Arzruni enjoys an international career, and is also known as a composer, ethnomusicologist, producer, teacher, lecturer, writer, recording artist and broadcasting personality.
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