This year marks the 85th birth anniversary of the beloved Armenian folk singer Hovaness Badalian and 20th anniversary of Amaras Art Alliance based in the Boston area, MA. Among a series of celebrations, Amaras Art Alliance has invited solo performers and the Traditional Music Ensemble of Sayat Nova School of Music, with conductor Narineh Zakaryan and artistic director Maestro Tigran Hekekyan. This youth Ensemble will perform benefit concerts in US cities with large Armenian communities. The first appearance will be in Washington DC, hosted by the Armenian Embassy, celebrating the Independence of Armenia, followed by the East Coast: NY, NJ, RI, Boston and West Coast: Glendale, San Francisco and Fresno are in the planning stage. This concert tour is organized under the auspices of Armenia’s Ministry of Diaspora. During this concert tour, September 23- October 13, members of the Ensemble will visit universities, music schools and have the opportunity to get to know children of their ages in different communities. The purpose of this visit is to introduce the Armenian folk and classical music to the American audiences and give the Armenian communities the opportunity to hear the traditional songs once again, as it was the mission and dream of Hovaness Badalian, “To hear the Armenian song resonate from every home, wherever an Armenian lives…”

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