Armenia celebrates its culture with its International Music Festival

Armenia, the oldest Christian state in the world, is a crossroads of civilizations and influences in the South Caucasus, on the borders of Europe and Persia, wedged between the Russian-speaking and Turkish-speaking spheres.

Culture, and music in particular, is at the heart of the Armenian identity, which led Aleksandr Yesayan to become one of the main patrons of the "Armenia" International Music Festival", which has been held for 7 years in Yerevan, the Armenian capital. 

"I think culture played a big role over centuries of our history and a vital role as well, in promoting Armenian culture and Armenia as a nation, to the world," reflects the young businessman. "There are countless opportunities for a small country like Armenia, with a population of just three million, to showcase its heritage, history and culture of today and tomorrow, and to showcase its new talent to the world.

Conductor Sergey Smbatyan is the founder and artistic director of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, which grew out of the State Youth Symphonic Orchestra.

He has since created the "Armenia" International Music Festival, which, for a month in early autumn, offers a program of concerts combining Armenian and world music, classical and contemporary.

" It's a young orchestra, with a very old-fashioned vision of what is 'being famous' and being on the list of the great orchestras," explains the conductor. "But, it also has a very creative agenda and a feeling that today it's important to represent and find the right way to deliver music, but also to make the magic happen for young audiences.."

This year, the proceeds from the festival concerts will go towards aiding the displaced people of Nagorno-Karabakh who were forced to leave their homeland.

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