Armenian Government Invites Decker to Perform at Memorial Concert Commemorating 90th Anniversary of Armenian Genocide
The Armenian Government has officially invited U.S. world musician Daniel Decker to perform at the Memorial Concert in Yerevan, Armenia on April 23 to commemorate the 90th Anniversary of the 1915 Armenian Genocide. Decker will sing Adana,” a song that tells the tragic story of the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians during WWI. It is a collaboration between Decker, who wrote the song’s lyrics, and Ara Gevorgian, one of Armenia’s premier composers.
Syracuse, NY (PRWEB) April 6, 2005 -- American singer-songwriter Daniel
Decker (www.danieldecker.com) today announced that the Armenian
government has extended an official invitation to him to perform the song
“Adana” at a special Memorial Concert it is hosting to commemorate the 90th
Anniversary of the 1915 Armenian Genocide. The concert will take place at the
Opera and Ballet Academic Theatre in Yerevan, the capitol of Armenia, on
Saturday, April 23, 2005 at 7:00 p.m.
The Armenian Opera Orchestra, and
Ara Gevorgian, one of Armenia’s premier composers, will accompany Decker’s
performance at the Memorial Concert. Armenia’s President, Robert Kocharian, will
be attending. Also in attendance will be the head of the Armenian Apostolic
Church, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All
Armenians.
The song “Adana” tells the story of the Armenian Genocide,
during which soldiers of the Ottoman Empire forced 1.5 million Armenians into
starvation, torture and extermination because they would not renounce their
Christian faith. The song is a collaboration between Decker, who wrote its
powerful lyrics, and Gevorgian, its composer. “Adana” is already played at the
Genocide Memorial in Yerevan, Armenia, whenever visiting foreign dignitaries
visit.
Decker met Gevorgian by chance on a trip to Armenia in 2002. They
first collaborated with Decker writing the lyrics to a song the composer had
written for Armenia’s National Independence Day. “Noah’s Prayer” chronicles the
biblical story of Noah and his spiritual journey on the ark to Mt. Ararat. With
Gevorgian and the Armenian Opera Orchestra accompanying him, Decker performed
“Noah’s Prayer” live in 2002 during a nationally televised outdoor concert with
Mt. Ararat looming in the background. Armenia’s President Kocharian, as well as
ambassadors from countries around the world, attended the event. After the
concert, President Kocharian approached Decker to shake his hand and personally
thank him for his participation.
The television broadcast transformed
the song “Noah’s Prayer” into an immediate hit and Decker into an instant
celebrity in Armenia. The song was repeatedly featured on Armenian radio and
television, and Decker gave numerous performances and press interviews. On his
last visit to the country in 2004, a reporter and television crew followed him
everywhere he went for three days.
It was the day after the 2002 concert
that Decker heard Gevorgian’s composition entitled “Adana.” Decker felt it was
perfect to tell the story of the Armenian genocide, an issue that moved him
deeply, so he arranged to meet Gevorgian the next day. “Before I could tell him
my idea to write the about the genocide, he said, ‘Please choose “Adana, and
please write about the genocide.’” Decker later discovered that “Adana” is the
name of the city in present-day Turkey where one of the first massacres of the
Armenian people took place. Thus, a second collaboration was born.
“I
wrote ‘Adana’ not only as a way to draw international attention to a terrible
tragedy, but as a source of healing to the Armenian people,” explains Decker.
Neither modern day Muslim Turkey, nor the United States, an ally of Turkey, has
formally recognized the Armenian Genocide. "I am delighted to have the
opportunity to perform with Daniel again,” says Gevorgian. “Daniel has done a
great thing for the people of Armenia. When you listen to ‘Adana,’ you know that
he was meant to write the lyrics of this song to bring greater international
awareness to the Armenian Genocide."
In addition to the work Decker has
done to garner attention for the genocide, Decker has also been working with
relief organizations in Armenia to bring aid to the poorest regions and to those
that have been hit the hardest, children and the elderly.
Both “Adana”
and “Noah’s Prayer” can be found on Decker’s latest recording entitled, “My
Offering,” available on his website. With a musical journey that has taken him
to England, Puerto Rico, Canada and Armenia, this CD reflects Decker’s love and
appreciation of the many cultures he has experienced. Along with his unique
piano stylings, the CD “My Offering” is a rich fusion of world music influences,
with flamenco guitars, Armenian duduk, Brazilian samba, Latin jazz, and special
performances by the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra.
For more
information about Decker, please visit www.danieldecker.com. Please direct press inquiries to Anne
Sharp at (818) 994-2309.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/4/prweb226056.htm