BURBANK — “ZVARTNOTS” Cultural Committee will present a special event, “Soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian & Friends: A Musical Celebration of Gomidas @150,” featuring the works of Armenian composer, priest, ethnomusicologist, arranger, researcher, and choirmaster Gomidas Vartabed on Saturday, November 10, 2019 at 6 pm at St. Leon Armenian Cathedral (3325 N. Glenoaks Blvd., Burbank, CA). The program will include performances by Grammy Award-nominated soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian and musicians from Los Angeles, Fresno, and UC Santa Barbara, along with Anna Hamre who will conduct the Fresno Coro Vox Aeterna.
In recognition of the UNESCO-commemorated 150th anniversary of the birth of Gomidas Vartabed (1869-1935), who is considered the founder of the modern Armenian classical school of music, the program will be an all-encompassing celebration of the composer’s diverse works. With new arrangements that highlight his sacred and secular works (arranged for choir and soprano), a collection of children’s songs and prayers (arranged for flute, harp, and soprano), and folk songs (arranged for soprano and string quartet), the mission of the Lively Arts Foundation and Bayrakdarian in presenting this concert will be to celebrate the universality of Gomidas’ music and its ability to transcend and elevate the soul, bridge the past to the future in a quest for inner self, and to inspire the heart and the mind of the listener.
Tickets are $35, $50 $100. Tickets are available for purchase by calling Western Diocese at (818) 558-7474 ext. 0.
