LEXINGTON, MA — A full house of supporters gathered at the residence of Charlie and Hrip Minasian in Lexington to attend the annual benefit of the YerazArt Foundation, a dinner reception and private concert held on November 17. YerazArt Fellows 20-year-old pianist Nara Avetisyan, and 23-year-old cellist Vardan Gasparyan displayed their talent in a repertoire that spanned Komitas, Babajanian, Bach, Rachmaninov and Shostakovitch. Nara, who participated in the YerazArt North American concert tour in 2007, is currently honing her craft at the Cleveland Institute of Music under the guidance of Prof. Sergei Babayan. Vardan, who took part in the 2008 YerazArt concert tour, is pursuing his education at the Colburn School Conservatory in Los Angeles. They both expressed their gratitude to the YerazArt Foundation for opening up such opportunities to them and facilitating their enrolment in these respected institutions.
The event generated close to $18,000 along with a wave of enthusiasm among the guests. All proceeds will benefit the Foundation’s Instrument Donation Program and other educational initiatives in Armenia.
YerazArt is a Boston, USA-based non-profit organization with a mission to nurture, support and promote young musical talents from Armenia through assistance with professional development, scholarships, instrument donations and the organization of concert tours. To learn more, visit www.yerazart.org.