· Classical
With Light, Toward the Light: After 27 years, National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia performs in Lebanon
As part of its Lebanon tour, the National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia performed on February 27 at the auditorium of the American University of Beirut, presenting works by Armenian and Western European composers to the Lebanese audience.
After a 27-year hiatus, the orchestra returned to Lebanon, gathering more than 750 members of the Armenian community and Lebanese music lovers with the exclusive concert titled “With Light, Toward the Light.” The evening conveyed a message of unity, hope, and spiritual renewal, becoming a luminous encounter of art and identity, memory and future.
The concert was conducted by British-Armenian conductor and tenor Sipan Olah. Soloists included Lebanese-Armenian soprano Shoghig Torossian and British-Armenian pianist Maria Palazian. The program featured a selection of masterpieces from Armenian and world music, including Edward Mirzoyan’s "Festive Waltz," music from the film "The Men" by Robert Amirkhanyan, Arno Babajanyan’s "Nocturne," as well as the Adagio from Aram Khachaturian’s ballet "Spartacus" and the Waltz from his dramatic music for Masquerade.
The operatic section featured arias by Arditi, Lehár, Tigranyan, Puccini, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Jerome Kern, alongside romances by Saryan, Alessi, Alyabiev, and Aznavour. Patriotic and lyrical songs — such as K. Petrosyan’s “Armenia” and A. Ayvazian’s “Yerevan” — were performed with audience participation, symbolizing unity. Members of parliament attended the event, representatives of Lebanon’s Ministry of Culture, diplomats from the United States, Finland, and Armenia, spiritual leaders, as well as political and cultural figures.
Following the concert, the orchestra received numerous invitations and cooperation proposals both in Lebanon and abroad, demonstrating that the impact extended beyond a single concert hall and offering a genuine opportunity to build new cultural bridges.
As part of the tour on February 27, the orchestra, accompanied by members of the Lebanese Hamazkayin Central Committee and concert organizers, visited the Mother See of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Antelias — the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia. They met with His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, and received his patriarchal blessing. During the meeting, His Holiness emphasized the importance of preserving, enriching, and promoting our cultural values. “All our cultural institutions — both in Armenia and in the Diaspora — are committed to this mission. In this regard, the sons and daughters of our people must actively support all structures working to strengthen and expand our cultural mission,” His Holiness stated, wishing the orchestra continued creative success.
The tour was organized through a joint initiative of the National Centre of Chamber Music, the State Chamber Orchestra of Armenia, and the London-based KCCA (Klingen Choir and Cultural Association), at the invitation of the Hamazkayin Central Committee of Lebanon and with support from the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports. The concert was fully recorded by MTV Lebanon and will be broadcast to a wide audience.
After a 27-year hiatus, the orchestra returned to Lebanon, gathering more than 750 members of the Armenian community and Lebanese music lovers with the exclusive concert titled “With Light, Toward the Light.” The evening conveyed a message of unity, hope, and spiritual renewal, becoming a luminous encounter of art and identity, memory and future.
The concert was conducted by British-Armenian conductor and tenor Sipan Olah. Soloists included Lebanese-Armenian soprano Shoghig Torossian and British-Armenian pianist Maria Palazian. The program featured a selection of masterpieces from Armenian and world music, including Edward Mirzoyan’s "Festive Waltz," music from the film "The Men" by Robert Amirkhanyan, Arno Babajanyan’s "Nocturne," as well as the Adagio from Aram Khachaturian’s ballet "Spartacus" and the Waltz from his dramatic music for Masquerade.
The operatic section featured arias by Arditi, Lehár, Tigranyan, Puccini, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Jerome Kern, alongside romances by Saryan, Alessi, Alyabiev, and Aznavour. Patriotic and lyrical songs — such as K. Petrosyan’s “Armenia” and A. Ayvazian’s “Yerevan” — were performed with audience participation, symbolizing unity. Members of parliament attended the event, representatives of Lebanon’s Ministry of Culture, diplomats from the United States, Finland, and Armenia, spiritual leaders, as well as political and cultural figures.
Following the concert, the orchestra received numerous invitations and cooperation proposals both in Lebanon and abroad, demonstrating that the impact extended beyond a single concert hall and offering a genuine opportunity to build new cultural bridges.
As part of the tour on February 27, the orchestra, accompanied by members of the Lebanese Hamazkayin Central Committee and concert organizers, visited the Mother See of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Antelias — the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia. They met with His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, and received his patriarchal blessing. During the meeting, His Holiness emphasized the importance of preserving, enriching, and promoting our cultural values. “All our cultural institutions — both in Armenia and in the Diaspora — are committed to this mission. In this regard, the sons and daughters of our people must actively support all structures working to strengthen and expand our cultural mission,” His Holiness stated, wishing the orchestra continued creative success.
The tour was organized through a joint initiative of the National Centre of Chamber Music, the State Chamber Orchestra of Armenia, and the London-based KCCA (Klingen Choir and Cultural Association), at the invitation of the Hamazkayin Central Committee of Lebanon and with support from the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports. The concert was fully recorded by MTV Lebanon and will be broadcast to a wide audience.
