On November 7, 2015, the AGBU London Chamber Orchestra performed a remembrance concert in honor of the centenary of the Armenian Genocide at St. John Smith Square in London. The concert, titled Together for Armenia, was organized by AGBU London and brought together Armenian soloists under the baton of Brazilian conductor Gustavo Ubeda.
The AGBU Chamber Orchestra in London was launched in 2014 by pianist Sarkis Zakarian, the orchestra’s artistic director. Zakarian, a pianist by training, is also a member of the AGBU London Executive Board. Since its founding, violinist Levon Chilingirian has been appointed patron of the orchestra and Ubeda serves as its main conductor. This international orchestra unites not only aspiring musicians of Armenian origin, but other instrumentalists from around the world.
In the first section of the program, young composer Kristina Arakelian, a student at the Royal Academy of Music, performed her new composition for voice and piano entitled “Asum en” [They Say], dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide and inspired by a poem by Gevorg Emin. The song was performed by mezzo-soprano Anais Heghoyan.
One of the highlights of the evening was the world premiere of “Epithaph, Dance and Hymn” by British violinist, pianist and composer Roland Roberts, written for violin and orchestra and inspired by Armenian spiritual and folk melodies.
Young flautist Nairi Azezian from Helsinki also performed and chose a lesser-known piece by the Armenian-American composer Alan Hovhaness entitled “Elibris.” “When I was given the opportunity to perform in London, I decided to choose a fresh piece, something that would be interesting to both an Armenian and non-Armenian public,” said Azezian.
The last piece before intermission was an energetic composition for marimba and orchestra entitled “Dzon” [Homage]. This piece was written by Massachusetts-based composer Pasquale Tassone for percussionist Sylvie Zakarian. In the second half of the concert, pianist Sarkis Zakarian performed Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto Number 5.”
