A concert to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Hamazkayin was held on October 7 at the Rossini Hall of the IX Arrondissement town hall in Paris.
Hourig Baghdassarian opened the evening with a talk about the contribution of Hamazkayin to Armenian culture and education. She listed the four schools, in Beirut, Sydney, Marseilles, and Issy-les-Moulineaux (outside Paris), where children are afforded an Armenian upbringing. She remembered Charles Aznavour, who had died less than a week earlier, and quoted President Macron’s words: “He will never leave us, for indeed, in France, poets never die.” She also remembered the Spanish operatic singer Montserrat Caballé, who had died the previous day.
Soprano Rosine Tachdjian, accompanied by Karine Petrosyan on piano, performed Parsegh Ganatchian’s “Lullaby” and the “Anoush” aria from Armen Tigranian’s opera Anoush. Baritone Mekertich Mekertitchyan, Yvon Boniface (bass), and Jerôme Verrecchia (tenor), accompanied by Dominique Sevet on piano, interpreted a classical repertoire. They performed works by Tigran Tchoukhadjian, Sayat-Nova, Romanos Melikian, Ashot Satian, Aram Satounts, Arno Babajanian, Vagharshak Koroyan, Stepan Jrbashyan, Gomidas, Anton Maïlian, and Alexander Doloukhanian, while the composers’ pictures were projected on the screen.
The two-hour program ended with a performance of two Aznavour songs. The performers received a standing ovation.