KOHAR SIMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND CHOIR

KOHAR SIMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND CHOIR
In 1996, Kohar Khatchadourian, a Lebanese-Armenian with roots in Hadjin, visited the northern region of Armenia that was affected by the devastating earthquake of 1988. The destructive situation on the ground caused by the aftermath of the earthquake gave to her impetus to create employment opportunities and hence improve the life of the impoverished locals. Thus, in 1997, the Khatchadourian brothers: Harout, Shahe and Nar, set the foundations of the cultural edifice which employed 275 personnel during its tenure and included a boutique hotel, café, restaurants, offices and shops spanning on a 10,000 m2 (33.000 feet square) property that is covered in green areas for dwellers and visiors alike. n 1999, KOHAR Music School commenced its activities with 20 music teachers and 100 students. These students were provided gratis with musical education and instruments throughout their eight year study period. In 2000, KOHAR Symphony Orchestra and Choir was founded by Harout Khatchadourian. Initially, it commenced as a symphony orchestra and later expanded to include choir and dance group with an overall count of 150 musicians, 12-15 singer-soloists, and 15 dancers. KOHAR premises which included a rehearsal hall, dressing and storage rooms for the musical instruments, became home to its members. The School and the Symphony Orchestra and Choir were named KOHAR in honor of the brothers’ mother, Kohar Khatchadourian. The first conductor of the group was maestro Sebouh Abcarian, who was a multitalented virtuoso from Cyprus. KOHAR’s first international performance was in 2002 in Nicosia, followed by tours in Beirut and Yerevan. The first KOHAR DVD released in 2003 was the first of its kind to include the live recordings of KOHAR concerts in interactive format with subtitles of the lyrics in Armenian and transliterated Latin options. The DVD package also contained an illustrative songbook that also included the lyrics of the songs in both languages. The subsequent live concert performances took place in Istanbul (2005), Kremlin, Moscow (2006), USA and Canada (2007). The KOHAR ensemble continued with its concert tours in Damascus and Aleppo (2009), Beirut (2010), Yerevan (2011), Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil (2012). The grand culmination of its tours was in 2015 in Beirut, with a performance dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, featuring an impressive repertoire of 100 songs. All the proceeds from its performances went to support the local Armenian communities, Armenian educational centers, Armenian teachers, and students residing in the countries where KOHAR performed. All the concert tours of KOHAR have been recorded, streamed and broadcasted live and later on released with highest standards on DVD and Blu-ray formats. One of the most illustrious moments in the history of KOHAR tours took place on May 28, 2011, during the commemoration of the First Republic of Armenia. This remarkable event took place at the Freedom Square of the Opera, Yerevan and introduced a novel dimension to the Armenian cultural manifestation. It utilized cutting edge 3D Mapping projection on the façade of Opera, expanding the horizons of Armenian artistry in terms colossal scale and quality. In September 2010, after unearthing the remains of the orphaned children of the Armenian Genocide in the Saint Joseph College area of Antoura village in Lebanon, when it was under the Ottoman Empire’s rule, the Khatchadourian brothers organized a burial ceremony and erected a monument to commemorate the memory of the innocent victims of the Genocide. In 2012, the Khatchadourian family founded the KOHAR Library in Beirut. This invaluable resource boasts over 2,500 Armenian songbooks, more than 500 bilingual and multilingual Armenian dictionaries and books related to Armenia's history, Armenian art, and the Armenian Genocide. The library also houses around 1,000 books devoted to the Kingdom of Cilicia, Armenian culture, and eyewitness testimonies of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide. Additionally, the library contains approximately 3,600 audio records (LPs), cassettes, compact discs (CDs), and DVDs. The library is cordially accessible to the public. The Library also houses adjacently an advanced artisan bookbindery wherein old manuscripts and books are restored and handcrafted to their new creative stature. KOHAR’s ultimate aim is to revitalize the Armenian Diaspora and keep the Armenian spirit alive. It symbolizes the spirit of Ayp, Pen, Kim through its support to the Armenian teachers and students, who keep the Armenian rich cultural heritage alight in the Diaspora. KOHAR waves the flags of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia.

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