The Komitas National Center for Chamber Music has initiated a very remarkable festival for organ music fans: the “Vahagn Stamboltsyan International Festival of Organ Music,” which will last until November 6.

The festival organizer, Deputy Director of the Komitas National Center for Chamber Music Armen Sukiasyan, emphasized in an interview with RFE/RL: - "In fact, this festival was the result of a rather long work process. Because we have been working on the implementation of the festival for more than ten years, and the festival was approved in 2020, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism approved the program, financed it. Unfortunately, due to Covid and the war, it was canceled. And this year we decided to hold it again anyway. Unfortunately, we are forced to hold the festival again in these turbulent and difficult times. We have quite interesting musicians from abroad."

Such famous organists as Italian organist Fabio Mancera and Dutchman Jean-Pierre Styvers have already performed within the framework of the festival. On October 22, Lada Labzina (Russia) will perform a concert dedicated to Mikhail Tariverdiev. The program includes only Tariverdiev’s organ works.

“The festival will close with performances by a rather interesting young French-Armenian guy, Mauel Arakelian, who has never been to Armenia. He is a rather talented organist,” added Armen Sukiasyan.

Of course, Armenian organists are also not left out of the Vahagn Stamboltsyan International Festival of Organ Music, as wonderful successors of the Armenian organ school.

Tonight, during the concert to be held within the framework of the festival at the Chamber Music House, Anna Bakunts, Lusine Harutyunyan, Harutyun Tagvoryan, David Hovhannisyan, Arpine Harutyunyan will perform. The program includes organ works by Western European and Armenian composers.

“Our organ school, which, as you know, was created and founded by the Armenian organist Vahagn Stamboltsyan, will be presented by his students. A concert is planned in Kapan and Charentsavan. We have an organ at the Aram Khachaturian Art School in Charentsavan, and we have an organ at the Kapan State College of Arts. They are quite good instruments. Of course, they need care and attention, like all organs in Armenia today. The issue of preserving our organ heritage in general is a separate topic. For example, we are ending our festival with a gala concert, the proceeds of which will go to cover the costs of maintaining and repairing the organs,” said Armen Sukiasyan.

When asked what role organ music plays in public life today, Sukiasyan replied: “We have a very interesting audience. I must say something surprising. At one point it seemed to us that we had an audience of an older age group, of the older generation, but it turned out that we did not, quite a lot of young people attend our concerts today, with love, and that inspires us. I think that youth simply has a drive towards fine art.”

And to the question of what a young musician should do to become an organist, he responded: - “You raise a very painful question, because today we have a problem with the continuity of the organ school. Today we have only one student organist at the Conservatory. This makes us very sad, and we must do everything possible to take measures so that young people can go to the organ department to study. I hope that this problem will be resolved, and our organ school will have its continuation. It so happened that this is the first festival. It is very encouraging, and we truly believe that this will greatly contribute to bringing young people closer to the organ. Both in terms of the audience and in terms of performers, in terms of having new achievements.”