Yerevan—Yesterday, on 25 May 2011, the Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS) and “Kantegh” Armenian classical music ensemble jointly presented, at Aram Khachaturian House-Museum, a concert-lecture devoted to the renowned Armenian composer and musicologist Komitas. The event brought together numerous music lovers including Ambassador Raul de Luzenberger, head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, and other representatives from the diplomatic community in Yerevan. ACNIS Administrative Director Karapet Kalenchian welcomed the audience with opening remarks, and during the concert that followed, violinist Lusine Harutiunyan and pianist Arpine Kalinina performed many of Komitas’ best works; separately, Kalinina also improvised on Komitas melodies. The founder and artistic director of the “Kantegh” Ensemble is Arpine Kalinina, a promising composer and recipient of the Triumph Award of Russia, and the objective of this group is to make the Armenian classical music treasures—starting from Komitas reaching until contemporary composers—accessible to a large cross-section of the public, specifically the youth.

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