YEREVAN, JUNE 4, NOYAN TAPAN. Jubilee events dedicated to the 70th anniversary of great singer Lusine Zakarian were held on June 1 on the initiative of the National Library of Armenia. Early in the morning representatives of National Library of Armenia and lovers of singer's art left for Etchmiadzin and laid flowers to the singer's grave in the yard of Surb Gayane Church. An exhibition opened the same day at the National Library of Armenia. Articles about the singer published in Armenian and foreign media, photographs, disks released in Armenia and U.S. kept at Library's archives were presented at the exhibition. "Lusine Zakarian's name stands out in the history of Armenian art thanks to her talent, unique timbre of her voice and sincerety of her performances," Mher Navoyan, Chairman of Sacred Musical Center, senior lecturer of Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan, said. In his words, L. Zakarian's uniqueness is conditioned by the circumstance that in the Soviet years the singer was able to take out Armenian sacred music to concert stage. And though the church criticized L. Zakarian's step, the singer without hesitating made Armenian sharakans (Armenian chirch psalms) popular not only in Armenia, but also abroad. The Center Director emphasized that L. Zakarian managed to properly present sacred music first of all thanks to her husband, connoisseur of sacred song Khoren Palian. M. Navoyan regretted to say that today one can seldom listen to L. Zakarian's songs: "Our musical life is not pure, today only short-lived phenomena appear in the air and the fundamental layers of culture are left out," he said.

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