Seeing the performances of the young children’s songs, dances, recitations, or their paintings makes us extremely happy and hopeful. After all, they are our today’s hope and the light of our future.
The Hamazkayin Armenian Stars Children Choir’s birth seven years ago was a bold initiative aimed at preserving and promoting the Armenian songs and music. Today, the pure Armenian songs performed by the choir members, from four-year-olds to young boys and girls, is one of the biggest victories against the xenomania.
On Wednesday, 7 June 2017, parents and relatives, and the community members who encourage the promotion of Armenian songs packed the Hamazkayin Theater in Toronto. The Hamazkayin Armenian Stars Children Choir was giving its annual concert. The diversity of 20 songs included in the program showed conductor Hripsime Tovmasian's skillful and professional approach, and her decisive steps to win great achievements.
The longtime member and solo singer of Armenian Stars, Mineh Tsaturyan opened the concert, addressing the Hamazkayin Association, the conductor of the choir and pianist Vanik Hovhannisian. Here, the little children of Group A appeared on the stage in a discreet manner, occasionally glancing at the audience. Conductor Hripsime Tovmasian, and pianist, Vanik Hovhannissian entered the stage. The concert started with the song Lamb. Then the children with great enthusiasm performed the songs It’s not a Joke, Dwarf Song, Do Re Mi, Grandpa and Grandma, and Yerevan in chorus attentively following the conductor’s gestures.
The performance of Group B was like a flight over the kindness trees to the world of dreams and joyful carousels. Our stars performed the Building Song, Dream, Happy Carousel and Kindness Tree songs with special enthusiasm and confidence. The quality of the songs, the harmony of the complementary voices, which was the result of careful and scrupulous work, was obvious.
Then we reached Armenia, our Homeland, and ″Our Lovely Yar from Mountains″.Group C performed the Armenia, Our Sweet Motherland, Sari Sirun Yar, and many other lyrical songs. It was really a good start, followed by lively songs, which took us to Artsakh and Western Armenia through a magic road. Groups B and G performed the songs Our World, My Karabakh, Yerevan, It got Dark, March of Zeytun and Fairy Road in unison. The work done and efforts made were obvious. The solo singing by Mineh Tsaturyan gave a special brilliance to the performance. The program included songs for children, as well as folk, lyrical, and national songs. Finally, all the groups sang the song We are Armenians in a very high mood and received long applause.
The administrative representative of the Choir’s Board, Lorig Gatrdjian delivered the closing speech of the event. She highly appreciated Hripsime Tovmasian’s and pianist Vanik Hovhannisian’s contribution and their best virtues, and particularly their striving for the best results. Conductor Hripsime Tovmasian, in her turn, specifically thanked the honored pianistVanik Hovhannisian for his musical talent and humble and patient character.
Der Komitas Senior Priest Panossian ended the event with his heartfelt speech and Preserving Prayer. The event, really deserving to be called Hamaskayin. It ended, but of course, there are still many such events to be organized in future.
Tamar Donabedian Kouzouian