YEREVAN, OCTOBER 17, ARMENPRESS. The ARMENPRESS News Agency and the Yerevan Subway teamed up to pay homage to Komitas by organizing an exclusive exhibition dedicated to the musicologist and composer’s 150th anniversary of birth.

The exhibition includes rare photos depicting Komitas himself, as well as other great figures that at any point in time had relation to him.

The exhibition was held at the Yeritasardakan metro station, and President Armen Sarkissian personally attended the inauguration. The opening ceremony was accompanied by Komitas State Conservatory students performing Komitas.

The president toured the exhibition and viewed the pictures.

ARMENPRESS director Aram Ananyan, speaking to reporters, reminded that 2019 is marked by the 150th anniversaries of birth of two greats – Hovhannes Tumanyan and Komitas, and this year ARMENPRESS has re-organized two exhibitions which were originally launched 50 years ago by the agency’s predecessor – the Armenian Telegraph Agency, dedicated to the two prominent Armenian figures.

“We decided to organize a retrospect exhibition of these exhibitions. We want to show how much their literary and musical legacy was valued before, how much it is valued now and how much it will be valued in the future. This was also a unique homage to all generations of ARMENPRESS employees who had contributed to the accomplishment of these exhibitions,” Ananyan said, adding that the unique photos on display have also been digitized.

Speaking about the selection of the venue, Ananyan said that ARMENPRESS has already collaborated with the Yerevan subway before as part of the First Armenian International Photo Festival.

“Here, a broader segment of people can see these unique archive photos. It is possible that the exhibition will be presented in many other platforms also. Let me inform that we plan to organize a Tumanyan exhibition in Dsegh and also realize an exhibition in Tbilisi’s Tumanyan House where Tumanyan and Komitas will meet. They’ve frequently met under this roof,” Ananyan said.

The exhibition has been organized as a result of collaboration between ARMENPRESS, the Karen Demirchyan Yerevan Metro and the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory. Converse Bank sponsored the event.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan