President Serzh Sargsyan attends opening of Perspectives Festival’s Academy in Byurakan

President Serzh Sargsyan and Mrs. Rita Sargsyan today attended the opening of the “Perspectives” International Music Festival's Academy in Byurakan. It is the only one in the region and is called to serve as an education center designed to train world class soloists where the most popular musicians of our time and influential cultural workers will conduct master classes and will organize concerts, thereby preparing grounds for talented and promising young musicians to make progress in the international arena.

The authors of the initiative explained the idea for selection of the education center’s construction area to the guests participating in the opening, noting that such academies are usually founded beyond capital cities to provide creative conditions far from the hurry and scurry of modern metropolitan life.

According to the authors of the idea, founding academies adjacent to music festivals is no novelty, but is an internationally acclaimed phenomenon. There are academies in Verbier, Edinburgh, Kronberg, Brussels, as well as in other places, which are bound together by the idea to pass on top-level musical skills to musicians-performers of the younger generation in a special environment. As a place for the academy construction, Byurakan was chosen for a few reasons: it is an academic settlement where the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory has been operating since 1947. There are a number of valuable historical monuments there, such as the Basilica of Saint Hovhannes, Tegher Monastery, the Residence of Catholicos and Artavazik Church. Amberd, the physics institute and other places of scientific and educational importance are located not far from Byurakan.

The first event to take place in Byurakan Academy is the three-day intensive course titled “Festival Lectures” to be organized in cooperation with the European Festivals Association from 11 to 13 April. The lectures are aimed at introducing Armenian participants to the importance of the festival in public life and the development of arts.

As part of the lectures, some leading specialists in festival management have arrived in Armenia to present the festival’s management system, its new approaches, as well as to share their working skills and international practice.

Accompanied by RA Culture Minister Hasmik Poghosyan, Professor Stepan Rostomyan, Founding Director of Byurakan Academy of Arts, pianist Evgeny Kissin, representatives of regional and local authorities, as well as by other executives, Serzh Sargsyan toured the newly-built academy, familiarized himself with the working conditions and the projects after which he listened to a concert performed by talented teen musicians. The festival has already included those teenagers in the program of concerts to be held on great international stages. Words of appreciation were sent to the benefactors of the academy, including the Pyunik Charitable Foundation and the world-famous pianist Evgeny Kissin.

On the occasion of the opening of the academy, RA President Serzh Sargsyan was awarded the Gold Medal of the Yerevan Perspectives International Music Festival issued on its 15th jubilee for the major contribution and support for the establishment of the festival.

Serzh Sargsyan also visited Byurakan Culture House located in the vicinity of the newly-opened building which was built during the Soviet era. In the future, the house is going to serve as a concert hall designed for about 800 hundred peoples.