YEREVAN — Years will pass by and today’s Avedisian School students will grow, yet many of them who were in the School’s Auditorium on February 21, 2020 will say, “I have seen and heard the greatest Armenian composer of our time, Tigran Mansurian.” Or, “I personally asked the Maestro a question, and he answered me.” Or, “I held my breath listening to the Maestro,” “I’ll never forget …” and they will recount many other unforgettable memories of the day.
Hosting the great Maestro under the roof of the Avedisian School was truly a memorable event, as the beloved composer, at the zenith of his respectable life, taught a small but invaluable lesson to the students.
What was Maestro Mansurian talking about with the Avedisian students? He advised the students to see only the good and be forgiving; on the path of real victory to know also to be conquered. He also talked about the freedom of the creative soul; about the character of an intellectual or artist, and many other subjects that touched the soul of the students.
The living legend Maestro Mansurian was engaging. There were more students who wished to ask a question, than those who did. Then he approached the piano, sat down slowly and his fingers touched the keyboard. And the sounds of his famous music from the film “A Little Sky” first spread then began to soar to great heights. Even the air became noble… and the hall held its breath…
At the conclusion of this exciting event, School Principal Melanya Geghamyan presented the Maestro with a book about Komitas “The Magnificent Song of All Armenians” and a book about the Avedisian School. And the students promised to continue their newly formed friendship with the Maestro by sending letters.
The meeting was not yet over as the dear guest, who left the room, continued answering questions, signing autographs and taking pictures with the students outside the Auditorium.
Established in 1988, AMAA’s Khoren and Shooshanig Avedisian School is an educational institution that provides outstanding K-12 holistic, tuition-free education in a modern, environmentally friendly building, using state-of-the-art facilities in the low-income Southwest District of Malatia-Sebastia in Yerevan, Armenia.
