Armenian VoicesARMENIA | Classical and traditional ChoirAmbassadors of Armenian music, an A capella group who derive their heritage from the internationally acclaimed, award-winning Hover Chamber Choir of Armenia. Under the direction of Choir mistress, Sona Hovhanisyan, a traditional and sacred repertoire quite unique, with beautiful compositions of Komitas.
Extracts of recordings with the Armenian Hover Chamber Choir
Armenian Voices is an A Capella group who derive their heritage from the internationally acclaimed, award-winning Hover Chamber Choir of Armenia. The seven member group, all members of the larger Hover Choir, are led by their artistic director and conductor, Sona Hovhanisyan, who studied at the Komitas National Conservatory and founded the choir in 1992.
The Choir has won numerous awards: Gold Medal at the International Choir Olympiad in Linz, Austria in 2000 (over 300 choirs from 60 countries participated); Prizewinner at the International Competition in Tours, France in 2000; Diploma at the International Polyphonic Music Festival in Arezzo, Italy in 1997 . The male choir of Hover recorded on the soundtrack of the Canadian filmmaker, Atom Egoyan’s Ararat which won Best Picture at the Genie Awards in 2002. Music critics in Armenia, Russia, France, Italy, Austria and the United Kingdom have praised Hover for its timbre, precision and sophisticated handling of close harmonies and complex rhythms of Armenian, classical and especially modern works. The choir has a rich and varied repertoire of Armenia and Western sacred and classical works, folk songs and popular music, including many works of Komitas, famous armenian composer who lived from 1869 until 1935. Among other major works the Choir has performed in the past five years are Bach's St John and St Matthew Passions, Britten's Cantata Misericordia, Buxtehude’s Magnificat, Ludwig Basil's setting of St Gregory of Narek's Book of Lamentations, Requiems by Mozart and Cherubini, Avet Terteryan’s Sixth Symphony as well as works by Krzysztof Penderecki, Rodion Shchedrin, Sofia Gubajdulina, Gia Kancheli and other prominent contemporary composers strengthening its reputation as one of the most versatile and skillful choirs. Armenian Voices’ youthful energy and new genres make an immediate connection with the larger listening public.
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 Artistes World/Jazz |
