WIESBADEN, Germany — A benefit concert took place here on Sunday, January 12, to raise funds for projects supporting Armenian refugees from Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh). The venue was the Anglican Church of St. Augustine of Canterbury in Hessen’s state capital. More than a benefit concert, it turned out to be an intercultural gathering, bringing together members of different ethnic and religious backgrounds, who shared the beauty of music from Armenia, Europe, and America.
This was the first such benefit concert that the Mirak-Weissbach Foundation, with the sponsorship of the John Mirak Foundation, had organized. Of all the rooms available for such events, we chose the Anglican church, which hosts concerts regularly. Its imposing structure, built in 1865, with high vaulted ceilings, graced by neo-gothic arches mounted on columns along the nave and side aisles, accounts for its excellent acoustics, and a Bechstein concert grand piano, recently refurbished, make it a sought-after location for musicians. In addition, the church, its rector, and parishioners are noted for their inclusiveness and warm hospitality.
Three prominent young Armenian musicians agreed to perform for the concert, soprano Lusine Arakelyan, bass-baritone Hovhannes Karapetyan, and pianist Diana Sahakyan. Both Arakelyan and Karapetyan completed voice training at the Komitas State Conservatory in Yerevan. She continued her studies at the Berlin University of the Arts, and Bavarian Opera Academy, and has held solo concerts in Armenia and abroad, also appearing in international music festivals.
Karapetyan, while still at the Conservatory in Yerevan, sang the title role in student productions of “Don Pasquale” as well as Leporello in “Don Giovanni.” He continued his training at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he performed as Argenio in Händel’s “Imeneo,” Trulove in “The Rake’s Progress” and Figaro in “Le nozze di Figaro.” Among the numerous awards he has received are the special prize at the Tatevik Sazandaryan Singing Competition, second prize at the Nodar Andguladze competition in Tbilisi, and first prize at the Lusine Zakaryan Competition. In the current 2024-2025 season, he is an ensemble member of the Hessen State Theater in Wiesbaden and will debut in the title role of Doctor Bartolo in “The Barber of Seville” in March.
Sahakyan also started her music education in Yerevan and continued in Germany at the Frankfurt University for Music and the Performing Arts and at the Reina Sofia School of Music in Madrid. She has attended numerous master classes, won awards and is the founder and artistic director of the first Music Festival of Women Composers in Frankfurt. Her recordings of works by Fanny Hensel and Mel Bonis have contributed to acquainting a broader public with the outstanding works of lesser-known women composers.
An Opera Studio for Children