YEREVAN, ARMENIA – Upon the initiative of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) and the Diaspora Ministry of the Republic of Armenia, Grung Choir of AGBU Montevideo, Uruguay, gave two concerts in Armenia.
The performances launched a series of concerts dedicated to the 20th anniversary of Armenia’s independence. Established in 1993, Grung Choir is headed by Maestro Alvaro Hagopian, who is also the principal conductor of the Montevideo Philharmonic Orchestra. After touring South American cities with substantial Armenian populations, the choir headed to Armenia for its first-ever performance in the homeland.
The first concert of the tour, entitled “To the Homeland,” took place at the Arno Babajanian Concert Hall in central Yerevan on April 26, 2011. Many prominent art figures, government members, representatives of diplomatic missions, and intelligentsia were present at the concert.
In her opening remarks, Republic of Armenia Diaspora Minister Hranush Hakobian said, “My warm and cordial greetings to our compatriots from Uruguay. We are grateful to Grung for preserving Armenian roots, Armenian identity, and Armenian culture. This is the result of the unification of the Armenian communities of South America. Symbolic is the fact that Uruguay was the first country in the world to recognize and condemn the Armenian Genocide, and certainly the Armenian community of Uruguay played a major role in this. For decades, Grung Choir has been singing about Armenians and Armenia and their heart is, indeed, in Armenia.”
Minister Hakobian thanked the choir members and conductor Hagopian, and awarded them with a certificate of appreciation for the proliferation and development of the Armenian culture, preservation of the Armenian identity, and continuous creative activities.
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