Walls That Talk
The Armenian American Museum and Cultural Center starts new conversations on identity and heritage
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April 28, 2010
Montevideo Choir Performs for Gomidas Vartabed's Anniversary and Major Multicultural Festival
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AGBU Montevideo's Choir Group Grung performing during at an event on November 12 that commemmorated the 140th birthday of Gomidas Vartabed.
AGBU Montevideo's polyphonic choir group, Grung, performed at two moving concerts in November. The first concert, held on November 12, honored the 140th birthday of Gomidas Vartabed. A priest and genocide survivor, Gomidas Vartabed was a renowned musicologist who saved several thousand Armenian folk songs from extinction and composed music that reflected the deep feelings of the Armenian people. The Montevideo concert took place at the Sodre "Nelly Goitiño" Auditorium, with the Grung Choir performing under the direction of Maestro Alvaro Hagopian.
Conductor Daniel Magarian opened the show with a thoughtful introduction in Armenian. He spoke about the choir's roots and emphasized the value of Armenian singing and composing as a means of preserving the ancient culture. Accompanying the 33-member choir were flutist Ester Kouyoumdjian and Austrian-trained pianist Alejandro Sarkissian.
The musicians played pieces ranging in style from popular to religious and nationalist, along with a set composed by Gomidas Vartabed. A group of a cappella singers also performed, and there were solos by soprano Stella Capote Kordjian and tenor Diego Krikorian of songs "Lur Knatz" and "Hairení Tashderum." As the concert came to a close, Grung paid tribute to another legendary Armenian, poet Hovannes Tumanian, who, like Gomidas Vartabed, was born in 1869.
On the heels of this successful evening, Grung participated in the Annual Festival of Choirs of Communities on November 22 at the Clara Jackson de Heber College. With the intention of presenting an eclectic mix of cultures, the festival included performances by choral groups belonging to several ethnic communities living in Montevideo, including those with Armenian, English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Israeli, Russian, Belarusian, Brazilian and Uruguayan roots. The Grung choir impressed non-Armenian audience members, who seemed to enjoy the immersion in Armenian music and culture.
Today, amid a busy schedule, Montevideo's choir group's biggest ambition is to reach Armenia and finally perform in their motherland.
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