YEREVAN, APRIL 7, NOYAN TAPAN. The Singing Armenia 3rd republican contest of youth and children's choirs will be beld in Armenia on the initiative of the RA Ministry of Culture, the Musical Association of Armenia, and Little Singers of Armenia association, for the purpose of promoting, developing, and spreading youth and children's choir music and in general choral art in Armenia. As David Ghazarian, the Chairman of the Musical Association of Armenia, said at the April 7 press conference, 113 children's and youth choirs of Armenia's, Artsakh's, and Javakhk's comprehensive, music, and art schools will take part in this contest organized for already the 3rd time. The first, regional stage of the Singing Armenia youth and children's two-stage contest will be held on April 11-25 and the republican stage on May 3-4. According to David Ghazarian, choral art is at a very low level in comprehensive schools. "I wish besides singing teachers, choir-master-teachers also worked in schools, and were paid like teachers," the Musical Association Chairman emphasized. Jean-Claude Wilkens, the Secretary General of the International Federation for Choral Music, and Sonya Grayner, the Secretary General of the European Federation, who are in Yerevan in these days and were present at the press conference, said that scientific-medical studies made it clear that singing children have a higher immune system, "they do well also in other school subjects, are more sociable, and have positive energy." The foreign guests said that in countries having the most developed economy choral art is not developed. To convince cultural responsibles in something is rather difficult in such countries: "in such countries rich benefactors just create their personal cultural funds and support art development." They affirmed that in countries having a less developed economy there is much interest in choral art. According to studies, the greatest number of choirs in the world exists in Scandinavian countries, including Sweden, Finland, as well as Baltic states. David Ghazarian said that Armenian choirs are likely to join authoritative international music structures soon, and negotiations over it are underway at present.

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