Paying Tribute to Komitas: International Conference-Festival Kicks Off

The Komitas International Festival, dedicated to the memory and legacy of Komitas Vardapet, opened on September 26, on his birthday, and will continue through October 8.

Ahead of the festival’s opening, a memorial service was held at the Komitas Pantheon in Yerevan. The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Alfred Kocharyan; Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Vassilis Maragos; Member of Parliament Arayik Harutyunyan; Ambassador of the Italian Republic to Armenia Alessandro Ferranti; renowned composer Tigran Mansuryan; participants of the “Komitas” International Conference-Festival; intellectuals, artists, and guests.

Participants paid tribute to Komitas Vardapet and laid flowers on his grave.

The opening of the festival-conference followed. Deputy Minister Alfred Kocharyan emphasized the importance of the annual Komitas International Festival in promoting Komitas’s legacy and presenting his life and work on the international stage.

“Our main mission is to preserve Komitas’s entire legacy and pass it on to future generations. As the authorized state body, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport will continue to support initiatives of this kind, with programs aimed at disseminating and promoting Komitas’s legacy at the heart of its policy,” Deputy Minister Alfred Kocharyan said, adding that the Komitas Museum-Institute is included in the agendas of high-level delegations visiting Armenia.

As part of the festival, the temporary exhibition “Eden” opened at the Komitas Museum-Institute, featuring artists from Armenia and abroad. The exhibition includes works by Gago Chtchyan from Armenia, Hermine Demiron from Mexico, and Arman Tadevosyan from France.

The festival program brings together different dimensions of Komitas’s legacy, including his musical compositions, scholarly and literary heritage, visual art, theatrical readings, as well as the preservation and public presentation of materials related to his life and work.

The donation of Komitas-related materials to the museum’s collection is a particular focus of the festival. Lusine Sahakyan, Director of the Komitas Museum-Institute, donated materials related to Komitas to the museum’s collection.

The festival’s closing event will take place on October 8. The evening will feature the presentation of the book “Komitas Vardapet: Piano Works,” followed by a piano music concert featuring Honored Artist of the Republic of Armenia Hayk Melikyan.