Sergey Khachatryan + Nairi String Quartet + Friends | Padani

It feels strange not to take a cab to the Komitas Chamber Music Hall to watch Sergey and the Nairi String Quartet practice or wait for a bus that will take us to another stop of the tour. For the last two weeks, I was the 6th man on the team (so to say) documenting both the concerts and the musicians. Of the 5-stop tour, the second to last concert performed in the culture and youth palace of Nagarno-Karabag-Republic in Stephenakart was my favorite. The energy of the audience, the togetherness of the orchestra, and the stage itself made the concert unforgettable.

Here are some photos from the tour.

sergey khachatryan taking a break from practicing in state drama theater in gyumri //

rehearsing in the komitas chamber music hall //

gexam mkrtchyan and liana smbatyan quickly interviewing sergey before boarding the bus //

viola player armen torosian of the nairi quartet demonstrating his strength //

armen and sergey after the concert in aram khachatryan concert hall in yerevan //

lilit mkhitaryan en route to karabagh //

practice session for the first concert in the komitas chamber hall //

lilit taking a break before the concert in gyumri //

hriar during a rest stop //

lusine aghababyan armen torosian and levon arakelyan during practice //

tigran matevosian at the end of the concert in yerevan //

the organ of the komitas chamber music hall //

gexam mkrtchyan and liana smbatyan interviewing hayk ter-hovhannisyan //

tigran matevosian during a rest stop //

sergey practicing against the backdrop of the beautiful komitas chamber music hall //

what the performer sees when on stage in the komitas chamber music hall //

sergey and karen harutyunyan //

sergey and lusine during rehearsal //

the chandelears of the komitas chamber music hall //

hriar on the bus towards karabagh //

sergey underneath the massive poster of the concert tour on the opera house in yerevan //

sergey and hayk ter-hovhannisyan //

sergey, lusine, and lilit in the state drama theather of gyumri //

Ira after the concert in yerevan //

post-concert congratulations //

levon arakelyan during practice //

armen torosian during practice //

lusine taking a break //

sergey and the niari string quartet rehearsing //

jemma abrahamyan after the concert //

sergey watching the children perform in gyumri //

tigran and lusine on the bus to karabagh //

sergey and levon at a rest stop //

the beautiful komitas chamber music hall //

lusine during rehearsals //

sergey's stradivarius //

lusine and sergey after a concert //

Padani | the youth of post-soviet armenia

Young members of the Armenian Police Department lined up during the Last Bell Celebrations in Yerevan Armenia, 2005 //

Girl dancing during the Last Bell Celebrations in Yerevan Armenia, 2005 //

In a given day the number of responsibilities we face are not quantifiable, because if you were to quantify them you imply that at some point in time there will be a conclusion. In fact, these set of circumstances create an environment which makes holding on to some deeply rooted values difficult. They force you (in some sense) to forget your origins. I'm Armenian, and for the last 5 years, I could not have cared less about that fact. I was too lost in my day to day activities to consider it something of importance. What I did not realize is that letting go of this single fact could not have harmed me more.

On July 7th, 2010 I will be leaving for Armenia. It marks the second time I've returned to Yerevan (the city of my birth) in the last 19 years. A great deal has happened since my family left Armenia during the fall of the Soviet Union. As a result we were spared many hardships. But others were not so lucky. It is their story I want to tell, and in particular the story of the youth.

What better way to tell a story, than through an internationally spoken language, music. In collaboration with the incredibly talented yet humble violinist Sergey Khachatryan, and a group of young Armenian musicians from the Komitas State Conservatory, my journey will follow them as they perform in towns across Armenia, and the live conflict zones of Nagaro-Karabakh.

Come along as I travel through some of the historical regions of Armenia, the earthquake tattered cities of Gumyri and Spitak, and through the conflict zones of Nagaro-Karabakh to tell the story of the youth.

I will be constantly updating my blog, twitter, and facebook . If you have not done so already, please add me and follow along.