EUROVISION 2015

[Yervant1]

DON'T DENY: ARMENIA REVEALS SONG FOR EUROVISION 2015 (VIDEO)

21:38, 12 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Today the sixth and final member of the band Genealogy has been
announced: It's Inga Arshakyan, who had already represented her
country in the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest with her sister.

Armenia has also revealed the video of the song Don't Deny.

The song Don't Deny was composed by Armen Martirosyan and the author
of the lyrics is Inna Mkrtchyan. It is about universal values and
its message is:

Happiness is born when people are united and live in harmony with
themselves, their families, love relationships and so on. Generations
are shifting with time but the genealogy remains, thus the values of
love and peace are stable.

The 6th member of the group is the famous and honored singer of the
Republic of Armenia Inga Arshakyan. She will be the one to replenish
the group of five singers symbolizing the five continents of the world
on Eurovision stage - Essai Altounian, Tamar Kaprelian, Vahe Tilbian,
Stephanie Topalian, and Mary-Jean O'Doherty Vasmatzian.

The powerful and inspiring voice of Inga has been the pearl of
many Armenian patriotic songs performed along with her sister Anush
Arshakyan. Being a bold representative of the Armenian folk music
and culture, Inga has already had the experience to perform in the
Eurovision stage in a duet as Inga & Anush Arshakyan in 2009.

The director of the music video is Aren Bayadyan. The concept of the
video is the idea of genealogy: the captured family is considered as
the symbol of humanity: the base is the shift of generations and the
phenomena that the new generation is always replacing the previous
one carrying out the traditions and values in them.

As a connecting dot the Armenian manuscript ornamentation embroidery
process was captured by the creative team. The bird, symbolizing peace,
freedom and good news carries a branch of the tree that blends with
the idea of spreading peace and art, unity of nations with idea of
fostering them in the world.

According to Aren Bayadyan, the creative team was inspired by the
name of the group and its logo, the family tree, which they tried to
extend and reflect in the video mystically and mysteriously. "Just
like the members of Genealogy are spread around the world, same is
with the branches of the tree that became walls between generations
during the time. However, neither the distance, nor the difficulties
could stand between people if they want to be together."

The designer of the music video Armen Galyan tried to combine Armenian
and European fashion approaches finding modern solutions. "When you
say Genealogy you immediately see vintage and retro pictures and
a family tree. We created and used fashionable simple textile that
is highly popular today; larger sized, with highlighted shoulders,
sort of gothic but Armenian traditional clothes that were accompanied
with Armenian silver ornaments. We also used pins with pictures of
our participant's grandparents and patterns of Armenian architecture
that are very modern today."

According to the Head of Armenian Delegation in Eurovision Gohar
Gasparyan in the music video other famous actors and artists were
captured symbolizing the family. "It took us two long but productive
days to capture the music video, because the artists were in Armenia
for a short trip and the agenda was tough. We have been cooperating
with one of the best production teams in Armenia and the result
is very beautiful. We believe that this type of song video will be
innovative in Eurovision platform."

http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/03/12/dont-deny-armenia-reveals-song-for-eurovision-2015-video/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVVvgD0-Mu0

https://youtu.be/VVVvgD0-Mu0

[Yervant1]

ARMENIAN AUSTRALIAN HOPING FOR EUROVISION GLORY

13:48, 13 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

A young starlet with Australian roots who has been selected to sing
in the Eurovision song contest says she can't wait for the thrill of
singing to millions of viewers around the world.

Mary-Jean O'Doherty Vasmatzian was born to an Australian father and
Armenian mother and spent some years studying in Sydney.

She's one of five young singers selected in Armenia's official
Eurovision band, Genealogy.

The five band members all come from the various Armenian communities
around the world. MJ - as she likes to be called - is currently based
in Cardiff, Wales, but is representing Australia on the Armenian team.

"This is to an order of magnitude that I can't even think about. It's
crazy. Even the practice sessions will have ten thousand people,"
she told CBS.

"I think I'm prepared, but I have no idea what this intense feeling
will be. But it should be amazing. It should be cool. I've got a
whole band with me. It's not just me and I'm representing a country.

"It's not MJ singing. It's me representing Armenia." As if preparing
for an event like Eurovision isn't a big enough task, MJ receives
long-distance coaching lessons from a Sydney-based veteran of the
Armenian opera, Arax Mansourian.

The pair communicate over an online chat program and web cam and insist
their web-based relationship is still an effective way to fine tune
MJ's singing.

Ms Mansourian - herself an acclaimed musician and singer who's
performed to audiences around the world - told SBS the story of how
MJ came to be her student.

"I got an email from her mother in 2005," she said. "We didn't know
each other. Suddenly I've got a long email from a lady saying she
wants to send her daughter to study with (me).

"I said yes. (She was) an Armenian woman asking me, so of course. And
that was our beginning."

Among MJ's many accolades is the Australian International Opera
Award which she won in 2008. She's since sung on some big stages,
but nothing like Eurovision.

The song MJ and the Genealogy band will sing in Austria is titled
'Don't Deny', which has faced some criticism in Turkey and Azerbaijan.

They claim the title refers to the 1915 mass killings, which the
Armenian Government calls genocide and the Turkish government disputes.

But MJ insisted it was a song about love. "The title is Don't Deny and
it's song about forgiveness and the love we all share in our families,
it's all about family, but also the human family as well," she said.

"You can't really define it too specifically. It's open to
interpretation but the way I feel is it's about love, unity and
forgiveness."

Armenia's first Eurovision appearance will be on May 19.

http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/03/13/armenian-australian-hoping-for-eurovision-glory/

[Yervant1]

ARMENIA TAKES GENOCIDE-RECOGNITION TO EUROVISION

EurasiaNet.org
March 13 2015

March 13, 2015 - 2:41pm, by Giorgi Lomsadze

Armenia plans to use Eurovision, the pop-and-politics fest
extraordinaire, to ask Europe not to "deny" that the slaughter of
thousands of ethnic Armenians in Ottoman Turkey amounted to genocide.

The Armenian entry for Eurovision, "Don't Deny," has not formally been
linked to many countries' - most notably, Turkey's - reluctance to
admit that the slaying amounted to genocide. But in the song's video,
presented on March 12, the subtext is fairly obvious.

The performers, a sextet called Genealogy, are made up of five ethnic
Armenian artists (from Australia, Ethiopia, France, Japan and the
US), reportedly all descendants of survivors of the 1915 massacre,
and a singer from Armenia.

The group, mostly kitted out in contemporary renditions of early
20th-century outfits, sing amidst retro-shots of an extended
World-War-I-era family. The family ultimately vanishes, leaving empty
chairs behind.

Armenian Weekly claimed that each singer in the collective stands
for a petal of the forget-me-not flower, the symbol chosen for the
April 24 genocide-centennial in the Armenian capital, Yerevan. The
publication claimed that Armenian singer Inga Arshakian represents
the midpoint of the flower -- the center of gravity, if you will --
for the far-flung Armenian Diaspora.

The centennial's official commemoration date hits roughly a month
before Eurovision's May 19-23 run in Vienna.

Yet despite the obvious symbolism, Armenia denies that "Don't Deny"
is about genocide denial. Arguably, it has its reasons. The country
needs to make sure its submission makes it into the contest over
complaints from century-old foe Turkey and modern-day enemy Azerbaijan.

Already, Azerbaijan, which hosted the 2012 contest, has pledged that
it will "act adequately" to stop Eurovision 2015 from "being sacrificed
to the political ambitions of a country;" in other words, Armenia.

The European Broadcasting Union maintains that it wants to avoid
turning the contest, decided by cross-border voting, into a venue
for political exchange. In 2009, an entry from Armenia's neighbor,
Georgia, a song called "We Don't Wanna Put In," was disqualified for
allegedly taking a swipe at Vladimir Putin, the then prime minister
of host-country Russia.

But the event is unavoidably political. Particularly in the post-Soviet
region, where countries tend to take the result especially seriously.

Don't expect anything different this time round.

http://www.eurasianet.org/node/72516

[Yervant1]

ARMENIA 2015: ARMTV PRESENTS "DON'T DENY" & 6TH MEMBER

OikoTimes
March 13 2015

YEREVAN, ARMENIA - All members of Genealogy have been released and
"Don't deny" premiered. The 6th member of the group is the famous and
honored singer of the Republic of Armenia Inga Arshakyan: she will be
the one to replenish the group of five singers symbolizing the five
continents of the world on Eurovision stage - Essai Altounian, Tamar
Kaprelian, Vahe Tilbian, Stephanie Topalian, and Mary-Jean O'Doherty
Vasmatzian. The six artists with different styles are united with
music and Armenian roots, love and piece.

Genealogy will sing "Don't deny," the song is about universal values
and the message is one -"Happiness is born when people are united and
live in harmony with themselves, their families, love relationships and
so on. Generations are shifting with time but the genealogy remains,
thus the values of love and peace are stable."

The director of the music video is Aren Bayadyan. The concept of the
video is the idea of genealogy: the captured family is considered as
the symbol of humanity: the base is the shift of generations and the
phenomena that the new generation is always replacing the previous
one carrying out the traditions and values in them.

As a connecting dot the Armenian manuscript ornamentation embroidery
process was captured by the creative team. The bird, symbolizing peace,
freedom and good news carries a branch of the tree that blends with
the idea of spreading peace and art, unity of nations with idea of
fostering them in the world.

According to Aren Bayadyan, the creative team was inspired by the
name of the group and its logo - family tree, which they tried to
extend and reflect in the video mystically and mysteriously. "Just
like the members of Genealogy are spread around the world, same is
with the branches of the tree that became walls between generations
during the time. However, neither the distance, nor the difficulties
could stand between people if they want to be together."

The designer of the music video Armen Galyan tried to combine Armenian
and European fashion approaches finding modern solutions. "When you
say Genealogy you immediately see vintage and retro pictures and
a family tree. We created and used fashionable simple textile that
is highly popular today; larger sized, with highlighted shoulders,
sort of gothic but Armenian traditional clothes that were accompanied
with Armenian silver ornaments. We also used pins with pictures of
our participant's grandparents and patterns of Armenian architecture
that are very modern today."

According to the Head of Armenian Delegation in Eurovision Gohar
Gasparyan in the music video other famous actors and artists were
captured symbolizing the family. "It took us two long but productive
days to capture the music video, because the artists were in Armenia
for a short trip and the agenda was tough. We have been cooperating
with one of the best production teams in Armenia and the result
is very beautiful. We believe that this type of song video will be
innovative in Eurovision platform."

The song "Don't deny" was composed by Armen Martirosyan and the author
of the lyrics is Inna Mkrtchyan.

http://oikotimes.com/2015/03/12/armenia-2015-armtv-presents-dont-deny-6th-member/

[Yervant1]

Armenian composers on 'Don't deny' and Genealogy supergroup

12:02 * 15.03.15


The song is good and the video is of high quality, composer Hayko told
Tert.am as he spoke of the song by the Genealogy Genealogy supergroup,
who represent Armenia at the the Eurovision Song Contest 2015.

The music is in conformity with international standards.

"It is even more like a musical and I like it very much," he said.

The Genealogy supergroup members are:

Essaï Altounian - France - representing Europe's Armenians

Inga Arshakyan - Armenia

Tamar Kaprelian - USA, representing Armenians from the Americas

Mary-Jean O'Doherty Basmadjian - Australia, representing Oceania

Vahe Tilbian - Ethiopia, representing Africa's Armenians

Stephanie Topalian - Japan, representing Armenians from Asia

Gor Sujyan, lead vocals, Dorians rock band, who represented Armenia at
the Eurovision Song Contest 2013, likes the song, especially the idea
of unification of Armenians from all the parts of the world.

Composer Ara Gevorgyan likes the idea of selecting Armenian
participants from different continents.

"I personally said that Eurovision should be used to defend our
national interests. It is a good means for us, and we should not seek
the first or second place because we all know Eurovision is a
brilliant - but unpredictable and unfair - show."

Singer Zaruhi Babayan likes the idea and colors as well.

"I think the song is not for one day. It will live for long."


http://www.tert.am/en/news/2015/03/15/don%E2%80%99t-deny/1617485

[Yervant1]

ARMENIAN BROADCASTER VOWS AGAINST POLITICAL PROVOCATION

OikoTimes
March 16 2015

Posted on March 15, 2015 10:42 pm by Newsdesk

PRESS RELEASE (YEREVAN, ARMENIA) - Armenia has always followed the
rules and performed accordingly in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Armenian Public TV Company has always respected and approached the
rules of the ESC with complete seriousness and this year is not an
exception. Genealogy will represent Armenia in the ESC 2015 with the
song "Don't deny"

The song is about universal values and the message is one - "Happiness
is born when people are united and live in harmony with themselves,
their families, love relationships and so on. Generations are shifting
with time but the genealogy remains, thus the values of love and
peace are stable."

We are surprised to learn that some international reporters are trying
to politicize our entry not only slandering the name and reputation of
the Armenian Public TV Company but the Eurovision Song Contest itself.

This type of behavior is unacceptable; it is a distortion of
information. We expect your support for spreading out the right
information.

Eurovision is not a political podium; it is a unique cultural
platform where bridges are being built between countries, cultures,
traditions and artists. We cannot accept speculation of any political
matter in the fun Eurovision festival. The Eurovision Song Contest
is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year and it is a dream for
many artists first of all for its strict rules. Each participating
country is signing under those rules. No country can bring out any
political, commercial or other types of songs and performances that
might negatively influence ESC rating. We announce that there is no
political content in the song "Don't deny" and there is no need to
look for one.

We encourage media platforms to stay away from provocative
announcements and articles and stop distorting the facts and put
the ESC rules under doubt. Genealogy was created because of our
inspiration from this year's fantastic slogan. We have built a bridge
between the past and the present, Armenian genetics and world music,
Armenia and Eurovision.

http://oikotimes.com/2015/03/15/armenian-broadcaster-vows-against-political-provocation/

[Yervant1]

AUSSIE PREPARES FOR EUROVISION PERFORMANCE...FOR ARMENIA

SBS Australia
March 16 2016

A young starlet with Australian roots has been selected to sing in
the Eurovision competition - for Armenia.

By Darren Mara

Most Eurovision buffs might be forgiven for thinking Guy Sebastian
is the only Australian who'll be performing at the song contest this
year in Austria.

Well, guess again.

As Darren Mara reports, a young starlet with Australian roots has
also been selected to sing in the competition.

Meet Genealogy, Armenia's entry to this year's Eurovision song contest.

Their song: Don't Deny.

The band is a multinational ensemble drawn from Armenian diasporas
around the world.

And from Australia - Mary-Jean O'Doherty Vasmatzian, or as she likes
to be called, MJ.

MJ's father is Australian and she spent some years here studying.

She says her preparations for Eurovision are going strong ... but
there's one catch.

(SFX)

That's MJ practising and her coach Arax Mansourian offering feedback.

Arax is sitting at a piano in the Sydney suburb of Eastlakes ... MJ
is in her loungeroom in Cardiff, Wales.

They're communicating over a chat program and web cam.

Arax - herself a veteran and acclaimed Armenian musician and opera
singer - tells the story of how MJ came to be her student.

"I got an email from her mother in 2005. Right, Mary-Jean? (Mary-Jean
on iPad agrees). We didn't know each other. Suddenly I've got a long
email. I just want to send my daughter to study with you. I said yes.

There's an Armenian woman asking me. Of course. And that was our
beginning."

As If preparing for a big event like Eurovision isn't a big enough
task, imagine having to do it over the internet.

MJ and Arax have been training together some 10 years, and for almost
two years via webcam.

Among MJs many accolades is the Australian International Opera Award
which she won in 2008.

She's sung on some big stages, but nothing like Eurovision.

"This is to an order of magnitude that I can't even think about. It's
crazy. Even the practice sessions will have ten thousand people. I
think I'm prepared, but I have no idea what this intense feeling will
be. But it should be amazing. It should be cool. I've got a whole
band with me. It's not just me and I'm representing a country. It's
not MJ singing. It's me representing Armenia."

Her coach Arax feels she's on Team Armenia. too.

"I am, I am. Every day I'm looking on Skype and on Facebook. Every
day. Mary-Jean, some said you were fantastic. Someone sent me a message
saying Mary-Jean is not only a great singer, but also a great human
being, a good heart. I said thank I am very proud of her, and of
course she is, inside, half Armenian."

The song MJ and the Genealogy band will sing is titled 'Don't Deny'.

There's been some criticism in Turkey and Azerbaijan.

They claim the title refers to the 1915 mass killings - which the
Armenian Government calls genocide... and the Turkish government
disputes.

But MJ insists it's a song about love.

"The title is Don't Deny and it's song about forgiveness and the
love we all share in our families, it's all about family, but also
the human family as well. You can't really define it too specifically.

It's open to interpretation but the way I feel is it's about love,
unity and forgiveness."

Armenia's first Eurovision appearance will be on May 19.

Still plenty of time to rehearse.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/03/16/aussie-prepares-eurovision-performancefor-armenia

[Yervant1]

EUROVISION 2015: ARMENIA CHANGES SONG TITLE

ARTS AND CULTURE | 17.03.15 | 15:37

RELATED NEWS

Armenians Deny: Yerevan reiterates no political message in its
Eurovision 2015 entry

Armenia has changed the title of its Eurovision 2015 entry, the Song
Contest's official website said.

Originally, the song unveiled last week and performed by the band,
Genealogy, was titled "Don't Deny". Turkish and Azeri fans and media
alleged Armenia was promoting a "political message" promoting the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide on the year marking the centennial
of the 1915 massacres.

"The Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) Reference Group took notice of
Armenian Public TV's (AMPTV) request to change the title of their
entry for the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest into "Face The Shadow",
after having submitted the song formally to the competition," it said.

"The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the ESC Reference Group
welcome AMPTV's request to change the title of the song in order to
take away any suggestion of political intent behind the song," it
said, quoting Gohar Gasparyan, the head of the Armenian Delegation,
as saying on behalf of AMPTV that it was done "to strengthen the
concept of an anthem of peace, love and unity".

Armenia will take part in the first Semi-Final of the 2015 Eurovision
Song Contest on 19th of May.

http://armenianow.com/arts_and_culture/61498/armenia_don_t_deny_eurovision_song_title_change

[Yervant1]

Genealogy presents song We are Our Mountains (video)

Genealogy band, which represents Armenia at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest, has a gift for their fans and all the Armenians worldwide. 

The band today presented, in a unique interpretation, the song We are Our Mountains (Menq enq Mer Sarery). The song’s music is by Mane Hakobyan and Avet Barseghyan is the author of the lyrics.

[MosJan]

DINAY cheyin uzzum de hima togh mer HAyreni Lezvov lsen.. dzer mer'n & Manuk@

[Yervant1]

GENEALOGY GROUP PROPAGANDIZED POMEGRANATE, SYMBOL OF ARMENIA, WEALTH AND FERTILITY AT OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE 2015 EUROVISION SONG CONTEST

16:58, 18 May, 2015

YEREVAN, 18 MAY, ARMENPRESS. The members of the Genealogy group
representing Armenia at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest appeared in
clothes in the color of pomegranate at the official opening ceremony of
the song contest. As the Department of Public Relations of the First
Channel reports to "Armenpress", during the red carpet ceremony,
the members of Genealogy wore jewels in the form of the branches
of leaves, symbolizing the branches and leaves of the tree that is
the symbol of the Genealogy group. The Armenian representatives'
appearance sparked great attention of the guests.

The official opening ceremony of the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest was
held in Vienna on May 17. The representatives of all 40 participating
countries walked on the red carpet, met each other, greeted their
fans and gave interviews to various presses.

http://armenpress.am/eng/news/805811/genealogy-group-propagandized-pomegranate-symbol-of-armenia-wealth-and-fertility-at-official-opening.html

[Yervant1]

EUROVISION 2015: ARMENIA THROUGH TO THE GRAND FINAL

01:12, 20 May 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Tonight in the first show of this year's Eurovision Song Contest,
broadcast live from the Wiener Stadthalle, 16 countries took part in
the first Semi-final in order to qualify for the 10 places available
in Saturday's final. Below are the ten qualifiers, and these are as
follows, in the order they were announced.

Albania Armenia Russia Romania Hungary Greece Estonia Georgia Serbia
Belgium

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYXr2FccjKE
http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/05/20/eurovision-2015-armenia-through-to-the-grand-final/

[Yervant1]

REVOLUTION, GENOCIDE, BREXIT: WHY EUROVISION 2015'S ENTRIES REVEAL A CONTINENT IN CRISIS - THE GUARDIAN

14:15 * 21.05.15
http://www.tert.am/en/news/2015/05/21/eurovision-paradox/1682446

Is Greece's song a disguised farewell to the Euro? Is Georgia preparing
for war? This year's Song Contest entries might be the most political
collection ever - and the underlying ideas are pretty worrying

Blog story By Bella Qvist

Let's start by making one thing clear; the Eurovision Song Contest
was created as a "light entertainment programme", bringing countries
together, and has a strict policy against political content.

"No lyrics, speeches, gestures of a political or similar nature shall
be permitted ... No messages promoting any organisation, institution,
political cause or other, company, brand, products or services shall
be allowed ... A breach of this rule may result in disqualification."

- 1.2.2.h, Public Rules of 60th Eurovision Song Contest (pdf).

Many entries in the past have walked pretty close to the line with
this rule. There was Ukraine's 2007 entry Verka Serduchka with Dancing
Lasha Tumbai, sounding almost like "Russia: goodbye", and San Marino's
The Social Network Song of 2012, about a website which rhymed with
"look". Not to forget Georgia's We Don't Wanna Put In by Stephane
& 3G, which sounded suspiciously close to "we don't want a Putin"
when performed in Moscow in 2009.

So just how political does 2015 get? There aren't any obvious
cheesecake songs or Russian grannies (Graham Norton won't be happy)
but instead a bleak display of tracks steeped in black; Eurovision
has gone serious. The mood could be a response to the theme "building
bridges", set by last year's winner, Austria's Conchita Wurst, but
much also speaks in favour of bigger, underlying issues.

Armenia is represented by Genealogy, a group of singers from six
different countries. Officially promoting peace, unity and love, their
track Face the Shadow was criticised when it first appearedunder the
title Don't Deny, and it had to be renamed when the organisers deemed
it too political. Why?

2015 is the 100-year anniversary of the Ottoman Empire's mass murder
of 1.5 million Armenians, an event which many countries, including
Germany and France, have recognised as genocide but which Turkey
(as well as the US and UK) contests. Genealogy's lyrics continually
repeat the words "don't deny" and the official video features a family
portrait that slowly becomes empty. Is it about love, or about murder?

Read more here>>>

http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/may/21/revolution-genocide-brexit-why-eurovision-2015s-entries-reveal-a-continent-in-crisis

[Yervant1]

11:51 23/05/2015 » SOCIETY

The Guardian: Armenia will be winner of Eurovision 2015

The Guardian - It is time once again for Eurovision, the annual kitschy Europop extravaganza, taking place this year in Vienna, Austria.
We’re having a shot at predicting who is going to follow in the footsteps of Conchita Wurst as the winner of the contest.
Our model is not based on the quality of the songs (or the lack thereof), but on an average of votes each participating nation received over the past 12 years, which is then adjusted for factors that include present day geopolitics, form in more recent editions, past performance and tempo.
So without further ado, the Guardian data prediction for Eurovision 2015 winner is...
Armenia!
Genealogy’s controversial “Face the Shadow” references the mass murder of 1.5m Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in 1915. It was originally called “Don’t Deny” – Turkey still contests that it was not a genocide, and this title was deemed too political by Eurovision organisers.
Other countries our model expects will make the top 10 include Serbia, Sweden, and Azerbaijan.
The predicted top 10
Armenia
Serbia
Sweden
Azerbaijan
Greece
Russia
Hungary
Belgium
Georgia
Norway

Source: Panorama.am

[Yervant1]

Perfect prediction Guardian! NOT!!!!!!!!

Armenia came in sixteenth place, but here is a better news for you!

BALKAN FOLK 2015: ARMENIAN SINGER WINS AT INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

ARTS AND CULTURE | 25.05.15 | 15:50
http://armenianow.com/arts_and_culture/63767/armenia_balkan_folk_contest_song

Photo: www.maghaghat.am

Satenik Tovmasyan
ArmeniaNow intern

While Armenia has not managed to achieve success in Europe's biggest
pop-music contest, Eurovision, yet, there has been no equal to the
Armenian participant in the continent's folk music contests that were
recently held in Bulgaria.

Armenian folk singer Hayk Mkhoyan was the winner of the Balkan Folk
2015 and Voices of Time international song contests held in the city
of Veliko Tarnovo among participants from 60 countries.

Armenia participated in the 8th annual contests for the first time
and received two gold medals and a Grand Prix already.

The winner of the contest, folk singer Hayk Mkhoyan told reporters
on Monday that the two contests held in Bulgaria from 7 to 17 of May
were two different festivals, which simply coincided time-wise.

"Two-hundred different groups from 60 countries participated in
the first competition - Balkan Folk 2015, not counting individual
performers, and another 170 singers participated in the Voices of
Time. I presented works by Komitas at both festivals, which were
accompanied by videos about Komitas," he said, referring to the
musical pieces by the great Armenian composer (1869-1935).

Mkhoyan said that he was the only singer who performed a cappella,
which amazed the juries and the audience even more.

"The winner was identified by the jury, but the opinion of the audience
was also considered after each performance. That is why we decided
that an a cappella performance will be more impressive and it worked
for us," the artist added.

 

[MosJan]

Eurovision : BBC Panorama - Eurovision's Dirty Secret Azerbaijan