ARMENIA NAMED COUNTRY OF HONOUR AT MIDEM 2015
13:43, 20 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan
International music business B2B event Midem has announced that
Armenia will be the Country of Honour at its 2015 event in June,
the Music Business Worldwide reports.
Armenia has officially declared 2015 the Year of Armenian Culture,
which involves a series of events worldwide throughout the year. As
part of this initiative, Armenia’s musical genres – and also its art,
fashion, cuisine and traditions – will be showcased to Midem’s global
audience at Cannes between June 5 and June 8.. The country of honour
programme at Midem is sponsored by the Tashir Group.
Armenia has a population of only three million, but has produced music
talent including the legendary Charles Aznavour, the Grammy-nominated
Armenian-American rock band System of a Down, who have sold more than
40 million records worldwide, Oscar-winning composer Michel Legrand,
celebrated classical composer Michel Petrossian, and Tigran Hamasyan,
the piano prodigy who has worked with Herbie Hancock and made numerous
international festival appearances.
The Midem Opening Night party on Friday 5 June at the Carlton Hotel,
to be co-hosted by the Armenian delegation, will present a variety
of artists ranging from pop-rock to jazz, such as the jazz outfits
Katuner, the Acoustic Colors Quartet, and Miqayel Voskanyan & friends.
The rock band Dorians, who represented the country in the Eurovision
Song Contest in 2013 with the song “Lonely Planet,” co-written by
Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath), and Ambassador , a traditional ensemble
directed by the worldwide famous violinist Varazdad Khachumyan,
will also be performing alongside with DJ BeatMan.
“2015 will be a special year for Armenia. The country has produced a
wealth of international talent in recent decades spanning all genres,
either home-grown or emerging from the significant Armenian diaspora
worldwide. So it is only fitting that Armenia should benefit from
the platform offered by Midem to showcase some of its top artists
to a global audience,” said Bruno Crolot, Director of Music Markets,
Reed MIDEM.
Other Armenian artists due to perform during Midem include the State
Youth Orchestra of Armenia, founded and conducted by Sergey Smbatyan,
who graduated from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and who has
worked with London’s Philharmonic and Symphony Orchestra.
The critically-acclaimed cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan , winner of the
International Tchaikovsky Competition, who has worked with some of
the world’s finest orchestras, will also join the programme of this
classical evening that will take place at Debussy Auditorium on Sunday
7 June. Meanwhile, the Hover State Chamber Choir, a choral ensemble
that tackles all genres, will perform at the Eglise Unie de Cannes
on Saturday 6 June and the Armenian State Jazz Big Band will offer
exquisite jazz on Sunday 7 June at the Carlton Hotel.
Midem will also pay tribute to the Armenian composer Komitas
(1869-1935), regarded as the founder of modern Armenian classical
music, to mark the 80th anniversary of his death. This will be part of
the very exclusive Midem VIP dinner on Saturday 6 June in the Carlton
Hotel, for which a leading Armenian chef will be flown in to prepare
a menu of national gourmet cuisine for the occasion.
In addition, Armenian artist Tigran Tsitoghdzyan has produced two
large-scale paintings especially for Midem that will be exhibited
during the event at the Carlton Hotel. Also, the young and promising
fashion designer Vahan Khachatryan has designed unique original
dresses for Midem using ancient Armenian motifs that will also be
part of the special exhibition within the Carlton hotel.
Armenia will bring a major political delegation, led by the Minister
of Culture, Hasmik Poghosyan along with Armenian painters and fashion
designers who will showcase their work throughout Cannes during the
trade show.
“Being the Country of Honour at Midem is a great opportunity for our
country, and at the same time, it’s a huge event which brings with it
great responsibility. I am confident that Armenia will present both
its strong traditions and its innovative cultural ideas at their best,”
said Poghosyan.
From: Baghdasarian