Contemporary Classics Composers' Festival

Armenia · 2019

ORGANIZERS
Ministry of education, science, culture and sport of the RA

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, SCIENCE, CULTURE AND SPORT OF THE RA

EUFSC

EUROPEAN FOUNDATION FOR SUPPORT OF CULTURE

ASSO

ARMENIAN STATE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Organisers

European Foundation for Support of Culture
 Armenian State Symphony Orchestra
 Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Armenia

European Foundation for Support of Culture


The European Foundation for Support of Culture (EUFSC) is a non-profit organisation established in Malta whose aim is to promote cultural and educational projects in Europe, Asia and America.

Every year the EUFSC holds numerous festivals, competitions, exhibitions, conferences, presentations, master-classes, workshops and other events, in order to support arts and give opportunities to young talented musicians and gifted children. Moreover, the Foundation actively promotes Maltese composers, musicians, ensembles and orchestras, collaborating with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) and contemporary composer Alexey Shor.

The EUFSC regularly works with various foreign and domestic governmental and cultural institutions such as the Embassy of Belgium, Embassy of Turkey, Embassy of Italy, Embassy of the Russian Federation, Embassy of Austria, German-Maltese Circle, Italian Cultural Institute, Russian Centre of Science and Culture, Chinese Cultural Centre, Ministry of Justice, Culture and Local Government of Malta, Malta Tourism Authority, Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, Mediterranean Conference Centre, Astra Theatre, the Catholic Institute, Barocco Foundation, Malta Philharmonic Orchestra Academy, Malta School of Music, Brigitte Gauci Borda School of Dance, Arts Council Malta, Programme for Promotion of Creative Development of Children and Young People, St. James Cavalier Concert Hall, amongst many others.

Amongst EUFSC most notable past events are the sponsorship of the 40th Jubilee Gramophone Classical Music Awards 2017 ceremony in London, the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of diplomatic relations between Russia and Malta featuring a debut performance of the contemporary Crystal Palace ballet organised by the EUFSC in collaboration with the Bolshoi Theatre and the International Music Festival 2018 featuring renowned international artists including Grigory Sokolov, Maxim Vengerov and Salvatore Accardo, Nikolai Lugansky and Ray Chen. The International Music Festival 2018 was officially endorsed by the V18 Foundation, the institution established to oversee Malta’s cultural ventures as part of the European Capital of Culture 2018 Award, and incorporated the final stage of the “11 Ways to Malta” International Piano Competition of the same year, bringing finalists from across the globe to Malta to compete in the final rounds. The Foundation is also a proud sponsor of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) and in 2018 organised the MPO’s first ever international tour of the USA and Russia.

Furthermore, the Foundation gives fundamental relevance to education, organising masterclasses and seminars by some of the most esteemed professors, with the aim to help promising upcoming talents to develop their musical understanding and technical skills.

The Foundation’s calendar of cultural events reaches its annual climax with the Malta International Music Festival, traditionally held every Spring and known nowadays as InClassica International Music Festival. Since 2018, this festival has incorporated the Malta International Piano Competition, the upcoming edition of which included preliminary rounds in Germany, Italy, France, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Russia, China, Japan, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, United Kingdom, South Korea and the USA. The winners of each competition will attend the final stage scheduled to take place in Malta in 2021.

Armenian State Symphony Orchestra


Emerging from a group of lovers and devotees to classical music, the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra was created in 2005 by Sergey Smbatyan, the present Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the orchestra. From the very onset of its existence, the orchestra has been home to bright and energetic musicians, assembled around the shared vision of amplifying the cultural awareness in Armenia and elevating the spiritual excellence of human nature by the power of classical music.

The orchestra performs over 50 concerts annually, with a rich and multifarious repertoire covering multiple music genres and performance formats. Today, the 15-year-old orchestra has accrued both local and international reputation for its orchestral virtuosity and performing precision and has been spotlighted with many uplifting reviews by renowned critics and art reviewers.

The Armenian State Symphony Orchestra has been hosted by many reputable concert halls around the world, including Opera Garnier (Paris), Konzerthaus (Berlin), Dr. Anton Philipszaal (Hague), Tchaikovsky Concert Hall and the Great Hall of Conservatory (Moscow), Palais des Beaux-Arts (Brussels), Elbphilharmonie (Hamburg), Royal Theatre (Madrid), Dubai Opera House and others. It has been profiled a multitude of times with such world-class composers as Krzysztof Penderecki, Sir Karl Jenkins, Giya Kanchelli and Tigran Mansuryan as well as a number of highly distinguished performing artists. A remarkable chapter in the history of the orchestra was the 2020 European Tour with the renowned violin virtuoso and the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra artist-in-residence Maxim Vengerov with whom brilliant performances were hosted on famous stages around Europe- Berliner Philharmonie, Vienna's Musikverein, London's Barbican Center, Prague's Dvorak Hall, Salzburg's Grosses Festspielhaus, Moscow's Zaryadye Concert Hall and elsewhere.

The Armenian State Symphony Orchestra

The Armenian State Symphony Orchestra has a history of close relationships with world-scale artists, such as Valery Gergiev, Vladimir Spivakov, Maxim Vengerov, Denis Matsuev, Vadim Repin, Vag Papian, Boris Berezovsky, Zakhar Bron, stemming from the orchestra’s lifelong endeavor to bridge Eastern and Western musical traditions through its performances and networking with prominent figures of classical music.

Led by Sergey Smbatyan, the orchestra released its first CD under the title 'Music is the Answer' in 2011. Recorded with the Sony records label, the CD includes works by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Dmitri Shostakovich and Eduard Hayrapetyan.

Aside from the extensive concert activity in Armenia and overseas, the orchestra also enjoys recognition and is highly esteemed for its increasing role in educating young people in Armenia. Since 2018, in the framework of DasA educational-cultural project the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra has been sparking interest and liking for classical music in high-school students across Armenia, with an attempt to galvanize a larger movement for cultivating noble insights and taste for classical music among the young generation. True to its commitment to foster access to classical music among all parts of the society and taking ownership of its social responsibilities, the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra frequently organizes charitable events and special projects in an attempt to engage people from different communities in the cultural life that largely unfolds away from them.

A number of orchestra’s concerts have been broadcast by Medici.tv, Euronews, and Classic.fm. In 2019, a documentary was released by Mezzo TV, featuring Sergey Smbatyan and the history of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra.

The Armenian State Symphony Orchestra is represented worldwide by Only Stage.

Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Armenia


The history of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Armenia dates back to the periods of the First Republic of Armenia (1918-1920) when on May 28, 1918 the Armenian National Council declared itself the supreme and sole authority of the Armenian provinces.

The official statement of the Armenian National Council was published in early June, which particularly stated: "On May 28, on the basis of the rights vested by the Armenian people, the Armenian National Council decided to declare the independence of the Armenian State and establish the Democratic Republic of Armenia." On July 24, the composition of the Supreme Executive Body of the Government was published which included the Ministry of Public Education.

On 1, July, 1919 by the suggestion of the Minister of Public Education Melik Gharagyozyan, the Ministry was renamed to the Ministry of Public Education and Art with the departments of secondary schools, elementary schools, arts and antiquities, medical-sanitary. The Ministry worked with this structure until the establishment of the Soviet order.

In December, 1920, when the authorities of the first republic transferred the power to the Bolshevik Party, with the establishment of Soviet rule in Armenia by the decree of Armenian Revolutionary Committee, the People's Commissariat of Enlightenment was established which was later renamed to ASSR Ministry of Enlightenment in 1946.

The ASSR Ministry of Enlightenment, ASSR Ministry of Higher and Vocational Education and the ASSR State Committee for Preliminary Education were dissolved according to the decree of ASSR Presidency of the Supreme Council 09.08.1988. As a result, ASSR Ministry of National Education was established. ASSR Ministry of National Education was dissolved according to the Decision № 616 of the RA Supreme Council on 01.11.1990 and the ASSR Ministry of Enlightenment and ASSR State Committee for Higher Education and Science were established.

In 1992 the State Committee for Higher Education and Science was reorganized into the Ministry of Higher Education and Science of RA. According to the Decree of the President on “Setting the Structure and Activities of the Government of the Republic of Armenia” on July 25, 1995 and the decision of the RA Government on “Measures for Implementation of the Process of Liquidation and Reconstruction of the State Governmental Bodies Not Included in the RA Government Structure”, the activities of the Ministry of Higher Education and Science and the Ministry of Enlightenment of the Republic of Armenia were suspended in connection with their merger with the RA Ministry of Education and Science recognized as successor.

The history of the Ministry of Culture dates back to the periods of the first Republic of Armenia. In 1918 there was no administrative body in charge of cultural affairs. The Ministry of Public Education operated from 1918 to 2019. On 21, May, 1919 the Minister of Public Education Melik Gharagyozyan applied to the Council of Ministers, proposing to rename the Ministry of Public Education into the Ministry of Education and Fine Arts. The Ministry of Public Education and Art was established on1, July, 1919 and comprised the departments of secondary and elementary schools, arts and antiquities, medical-sanitary. On 17, July 1919, the Council of Ministers approved law «On the Reorganization of the Ancient Monuments and Art Department: A) to reorganize the Department of Antiquities and Art into two divisions: a) Division of Preservation of Ancient Monuments; b) Division of Art Promotion; B) open credit line for twenty-two thousand and two hundred rubles for the Ministry of Public Education and Art for July-December1919. G. Khojamiryan - Executive Secretary of the Council of Ministers”.

By this law the Department of Antiquities was added to the structure of the Ministry of Public Education and Art. The preservation of Antiquities was in the spotlight of the Ministry, the evidence of which are a number of documents. The Antiquities Department operated until 1920 and the functions were dissolved because of the shift to the Antiquities Committee. The issue of the Future National Museum as well as theatrical activities were also in the spotlight of the Ministry.

From January 1 to June 1, 1920, Yeghishe Soghomonyan (Charents) held the position of Special Commissioner for the Ministry of Education and the Arts.

ASSR People’s Commissariat of Enlightenment was founded on 12, December, 1920 by the Decree of the Revolutionary Committee after the fall of the First Republic and the establishment of the Soviet Union. The Academic Centre began operating within the framework of the People’s Commissariat. The Center held supervision over the activities of higher education institutions, scientific organizations, research institutes, libraries, museums, theaters and the preservation of antiquities. Arts Department was created to run cultural institutions within the People's Commissariat. Based on the ASSR People’s Commissariat of Enlightenment Art Department, the Department of Arts Affairs was established under the ASSR People’s Council in 1936. State Opera and Ballet Theater, Sundukyan State Academic Theatre, the Theatre of Workers, the House of Culture of the Armenian SSR in Moscow, the Magazine of “Soviet Art”, Quartet after Spendiarov (now it is named after Komitas), city theatres of Armavir and Leninakan, “ArmenPhoto Trest, Conservatory and other art institutions operated under the Department of Arts Affairs. The Art Department later becomes one of the divisions of the Ministry of Culture.

The АSSR Ministry of Culture was established on 17, April, 1953 by the Decree of ASSR Presidency of the Supreme Soviet. “Decree on establishing the ASSR Ministry of Culture – ASSR Ministry of Culture comprised of ASSR Ministry of Cinematography, the Department of Art Affairs under the ASSR Council of Ministers, Committee of Culture and Enlightenment under the ASSR Council of Ministers, the Committee of Radio Information under the ASSR Council of Ministers, Printing, Publishing and Book Trade Affairs Department under the ASSR Council of Ministers and the Department of Labor Reserves. The Ministry of Culture comprised the departments of Art, Clubs and Folklore and the divisions of International Relations, Automated Management System, Museums, Libraries, Educational Institutions, HR, Capital Construction, Finance and Audit. The Ministry of Culture executed the implementation and management of the activities in the field of Culture, Enlightenment, Theatre, Music, Dance Art. Fine Arts and Decorative-Applied Arts.

The Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs of the Republic of Armenia was established in 2007 as a result of the reorganization of the State Committee on Physical Culture and Sport under the Government of the Republic of Armenia.

In accordance with points 4 and 4․3 of the order established by Presidential Decree № NH-1064 of March 16, 2002 by the Decision of the Government of the Republic of Armenia № 825-N, July 12, 2007, the State Administrative Institution of the RA Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs was established which operated with 11 structural subdivisions (6 departments and 4 divisions).

The authorized state governing body for the field of physical education and sport was established and has been operating for more than 90 years.

On May 8, 2019, by the law of the Republic of Armenia "On Amendments and Addenda to the Law on “Structure and Activities of the Government" the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs and the Ministry of Education and Science were merged into the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of the Republic of Armenia. On 1 June, 2019. Arayik Harutyunyan was appointed to be the RA Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport