YEREVAN, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN. On April 29, the concert of the "Serenade" chamber orchestra, laureate of international competitions and festivals, will be held in the fresco hall of the National Gallery of Armenia within the framework of the "National Gallery" first music festival. The concert is the first one from the jubilee cycle dedicated to orchestra's 14th anniversary. The day of orchestra's foundation is considered to be the first concert held on May 12 1991 in the Chamber Music House after Komitas. And the "Serenade" was named after Mozart's "Small Night Serenade" performed on that day. According to Eduard Topchian, orchestra's Art Director and General Conductor, this time the orchestra decided not to limit itself to one performance and prepared a series of concerts with multi-genre program. A great surprise awaits opera-lovers: world-famous singers, our compatriots Isabel Bayrakdarian (Canada) and Suren Shagijanian (France) are arriving for a special purpose of joint performation of Rossini's "Seville Barber" with the "Serenade." During the whole period of existence the "Serenade" received no financing from Armenia though for many times it represented Armenia with credit on prestigious international stages, competitions and festivals in Germany, France, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Turkey, Switzerland, Holland, Russia, Austria, always got the highest estimation by critics and press. The orchestra cooperated with such musicians as Tibor Varga, Roland Diens, Sergei Khachatrian, Kim Kashkashian, Isabel Bayrakdarian, Alexei Lyubimov, Khemish Miln, Hartmut Rode, Steven Isserliss. The orchestra recorded 6 compact disks with works of Armenian (Komitas, Mirzoyan) and Western European composers. The disk with Armenian program was released by the "Thorofon" German recording company. In 1994 a "Society of "Serenade's" Friends" was established in Germany, exclusively owing to Germany's efforts. The society is operating up to this day and is the European coordinating center of the orchestra. After closing of the summer concert season the "Serenade" will start preparing for a long tour by Germany and Switzerland.

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