Yerevan Opera House waiting for new director: Who are bidding for vacant post?

Armenia’s Ministry of Culture, which has announced a bid for filling the vacant post of the Opera House director, is silent on the candidates’ names.

Though it has already nominated nine people, no names have been made public so far.

A spokesperson for the Ministry, Alla Serobyan, says they are thus respecting an individual’s right to privacy (which is also a requirement of the law).

“The candidates can speak of their participation and make the information public. But considering the right to private life, we do not publish names,” she told our correspondent, adding only that the contest is due on April 4.

Five of the candidates’ names had been, nonetheless, published earlier by non-official sources. Opera singer Barsegh Tumanyan, composer Yervand Yerkanyan, folk song expert Arthur Shahnazaryan, Director of the Arno Babajanyan Concert Hall Gagik Manastan, a solo performer of the Opera House, Tigran Davtyan, and the opera baritone, Gevorg Hakobyan are known to be among the nominees.

Speaking to Tert.am, Yerkanyan refrained from revealing any plans before the competition.

“I have submitted my concept when applying for the contest, so anyone who is interested knows it. But I think it is too early to introduce it to the public,” he said.

Unlike him, the theatre’s solo performer shared his plans in comments to our correspondent. He stressed the importance of staging innovative and experimental performances and resuming the tradition of children’s operas.

“We must be able - in at least in the two decades to come – engage ourselves in the younger generation’s upbringing to make [the young audience] our colleagues or spectators in future. And to do that it is important to resume the operas for children and the philharmonic orchestras for secondary schools. We would thus avoid the creative stagnation we are facing today. The theater must have a department of critics and theatrical experts,” he said, noting that the society has today somewhat distanced itself from the opera art.

Davtyan further highlighted the importance of organizing mono performances in the regions to restore the ties between the theater and the audience.

“TV channels companies must present performances very often; they do now at times, but there is no analytical thought or article about that form of art. People’s knowledge about art reflects fantasy today, but it isn’t as if it exists in Armenia,” he added.

As for the theater’s financial means, Davtyan said he has proposed changes which he considers possible. The candidate added that a simultaneous collaboration with the business circles would help significantly improve the situation.

“We must try to involve business circles in this, but not of course, through methods of dictating conditions. A theater cannot guide itself by just a couple of people’s whims,” he added.