Yesterday evening, the opening concert of the 20th International Competition named after Khachatryan was solemnly held.

During the evening, performed by the State Symphony Orchestra of Armenia under the direction of conductor Sergey Smbatyan, only Khachatryan's music was played: "Happy Birthday," variations on Aram Khachatryan's themes, instrumentation by Martin Ulikhanyan, then Spartacus and Phrygia's adagio from the ballet "Spartacus." The violinist Diana Adamyan performed the violin concerto. With the National Academic Choir of Armenia, Khachatryan's Dzon Joy was also performed, written for mezzo-soprano, mixed choir, violinist ensemble, harpist ensemble, and orchestra, soloist: Bella Amaryan (mezzo-soprano).

Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan welcomed the start of the contest named after Khachatryan. In his speech, he mentioned that the international contest named after Khachatryan is one of the most critical and significant competitions held in Yerevan, which is why Yerevan Municipality supports this review. The mayor emphasized that Yerevan Municipality considers it its obligation to support similar events because they value the popularization of high-quality culture and music, and the public only gets excellent and positive things from such events. He congratulated the Khachatryan competition organizers and wished the participating violinists success.

Composer Tigran Mansuryan also gave his welcome speech at the competition. He mentioned that Khachatryan brought the depth and volume of Armenian music, as well as all the energy and artistic power, to the world, with such power that he made himself and the entire Armenian people recognizable to the world. "Aram Khachatryan is the son of Armenian music. The competition named after him not only keeps Khachatryan's spirit alive but also infects many, many musicians of the world, new generations, with our music," said maestro Mansuryan.

During the evening, videos dedicated to Aram Khachatryan's life and work and about the 20-year competition were shown.

The first stage of the competition, named after Khachatryan, started this morning and will continue tomorrow.

This music review, organized by the "Aram Khachatryan" cultural foundation, has an essential place in the family of international competitions held worldwide. The International Competition, named after Khachatryan, has been a member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC) based in Geneva since 2013 and operates according to the rules established by the federation. Yerevan Municipality is the leading supporter of the contest named after Khachatryan. The competition is traditionally organized with the support of the RA Ministry of Education and Culture.