National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia
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The National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia (NCOA) is the State Orchestra for the former Soviet republic, Armenia
[edit] History
The origin of the National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia (NCOA) dates back to a time when Armenia was a part of the former Soviet Union. It was founded by the outstanding violinist Zareh Sahakiants as the Armenian State Chamber Orchestra in 1961 and later merged with the Yerevan Chamber Orchestra in 1997, six years after the independence of the Republic of Armenia, to form the new NCOA, as we know it today.
In April 1997, Armenia’s Minister of Culture extended a special invitation to American-Armenian conductor Aram Gharabekian and appointed him as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the newly formed National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia. The twenty-five members of the NCOA exemplify the finest chamber music players in Armenia who are all graduates of the Yerevan State Musical Conservatory. Together with dynamic leadership of Maestro Gharabekian, the NCOA is in its eighth season of lauded performances and distinctive programming, winning acclaim both in Armenia and in other parts of the world.
Under the patronage of the First Ladies of Armenia and Germany, the NCOA officially opened international celebrations honoring Aram Khachaturian’s 100th anniversary with a special concert in Berlin in November 2002. The orchestra made its Russian debut with critical acclaim at the Great Hall of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow and Glazunov Hall in St. Petersburg in June 2003. Continuing its Aram Khachaturian worldwide centennial concerts in 2003, the NCOA made critically acclaimed debut appearances in Tbilisi, Georgia, the Halle Festival in Germany, Toronto and Montreal, and made its third return visit to California.
Following its acclaimed American debut at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, California in 1999, the NCOA has since been greeted with enthusiastic standing ovations in New York, San Francisco, Fresno, London, Geneva, the Canterbury Festival, Cyprus, Greece, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates. The outstanding artistic achievements of the NCOA have been duly recognized in a proclamation by the United States Congress and televised features on CNN Special and Russian Kultura TV Channel.
Aside from international touring and frequently performed concerts at home in the Komitas Chamber Music Hall in Yerevan, the NCOA is committed to a significant Outreach Program that takes music to the people and extends its performances to all the regions of Armenia as well as ancient monasteries, historical sites, monuments, and archeological discoveries that date back as far as 1st and 2nd millennium B.C. The NCOA is regularly featured on Armenian Radio and Television programs and with Presidential invitation appears in special performances for distinguished Heads of State visiting Armenia.
[edit] Discography
The NCOA recorded its first compact disc in 1998, which was printed in Germany by PolyGram, featuring works by Armenian composers. The orchestra has recorded three new CDs that are due for release in the fall of 2005. During the last eight years the NCOA has commissioned and premiered more than 40 new works and encouraged the integration of traditional Armenian musical instruments such as duduk, zurna, shvi and kamancha in the works especially written for the orchestra.
One of the objectives of the NCOA is to play a part, not only in the cultural life of its own public, but to make a meaningful contribution to the causes that impact their lives as citizens. In 2003, the NCOA performed a gala concert on the front lawn of the magnificent College of the Applied Arts and Sciences in Shusha, which was destroyed during the armed conflict in Nagorno Karabagh. That concert was conceived to arouse enthusiasm and support for the reconstruction efforts of the College, and to call awareness to Shushi’s historical importance as a cradle for the arts and sciences. In July 2004, the NCOA presented an open-air gala concert at the historic site of Garni Temple, dedicated to the preservation of the environment. The Temple of Garni, one of the oldest historical landmarks in Armenia from 1st Century AD provided a unique backdrop for the live recording and filming of the concert. The recording is available on DVD, the first ever to bear the label, Made in Armenia.
In 2005 the NCOA toured the United Arab Emirates, St. Petersburg, Greece, Canada and the USA.
