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Renowned composer Loris Tjeknavorian, 88, has received citizenship of the Republic of Armenia, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported.
“For decades, he belonged to Armenia, and Armenia considered him its own,” the ministry said in a statement.
“He conducted his activities here, creating works about and for his country. But there was a contradiction: despite being so closely connected to Armenia, his legal status did not reflect that connection for many years — he was not a citizen of the Republic of Armenia. This contradiction is also one of the remarkable episodes in the life of Loris Tjeknavorian, the renowned composer and conductor,” the ministry added.
The musician, born in the Iranian city of Borujerd and educated in Vienna, Salzburg and Michigan, worked in London and New York. He could have built his career on the world’s most prestigious stages, but in 1989, his path brought him back to Armenia.
“My father raised me in a patriotic spirit, and my dream was to come to Armenia,” Tjeknavorian said.
“Although I had a great career abroad, when the earthquake happened, I forgot everything and came to my homeland. I began my activities with the ‘Yes to Independence’ movement. The anthem, tricolor and coat of arms of our republic were sacred to me,” Tjeknavorian recalls.
For the maestro, citizenship and identity were two different things. Citizenship was a matter of a stable legal connection with the state, while being Armenian was a matter of identity.
“Although the people accept me, it would have been good for me to have my homeland’s passport as well. I applied, and thank God, my dream came true.
“It was very emotional for me because when the anthem was played, I saw the flag and coat of arms and remembered that at one time I had fought for these very symbols in the National Assembly, presenting and defending them before the people. And today, under these very symbols, I myself took an oath to my homeland — to remain faithful to it,” he said.
The connection that had existed for years in his work, activities and identity is now also established at the legal level. And if for years he considered Armenia his own, today that belonging has also been legally confirmed.
“I grew up an orphan. It is strange — I never had a country: in Iran, I was Armenian; in Armenia, I was Iranian; in foreign countries, I was a foreigner. I never understood what it meant to have a country. I had no country. I felt Armenian, and when I left here, it was a great loss for me. I truly felt like an orphan. For the past week, I have felt that I have a country. And thank you,” the composer said.