"Tshakhruk" festival 2022
On September 4, 2022, at 7:30 PM, the annual international festival of folk music for people with special needs, “Chakhruk”, took place in the courtyard of Saghmosavank Monastery in Aragatsotn Province.
The message of the festival is: “Physical capabilities are nothing if you don’t have the flight of the soul.”
The 2022 Festival of National Music was attended by the “Chakhruk” ethno music ensemble of the Kharberd specialized orphanage, the children of the “Mankan Tun” orphanage of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, the “Sun Bells” orchestra of children with Down syndrome, the artistic group of the “Mother” socio-cultural center, the “Preodoleniye” musical ensemble of the “Family Center” boarding house for deaf and blind children in Sergiev Posad from the Russian Federation, and the “Neiva” musical ensemble of the “Blagoye Delo” public organization of the Sverdlovsk region. The special guest of the festival was Arto Tunchboyajyan, the director of the performance “Physical Abilities Are Nothing If You Don’t Have the Flight of the Soul” was Peter Nemoy, a wise man of the “301 Land of Wisdom” Foundation, and the co-authors of the music are Anna and Anahit Mkhitaryans.
The festival, whose message is “Physical Abilities Are Nothing If You Don’t Have the Flight of the Soul,” aims to discover the musical talent of people with special needs, at the same time, to bring together people of different nations with similar characteristics in one place in Armenia and create a unique opportunity to present their culture. Through national music, participants will get to know each other’s culture, exchange their accumulated experience in overcoming the same difficulties, and gain new friends and knowledge. Thus, the “Chakhruk” festival involves people with special needs in socio-cultural life, allows them to dream, express themselves and create, gain wings from art, and present their message to the world through song.
Within the framework of the festival, the “Chakhruk” symbol was presented to all participating groups, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, represented by Narek Mkrtchyan, and the director-director Pyotr Nemo. All participants and invited guests participated in the joint creation of the canvas “Flight of the Soul-2”.
The festival was attended by First Lady Anna Hakobyan, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Narek Mkrtchyan, and Deputy Minister Tatevik Stepanyan.
The founders of the festival are Anna and Anahit Mkhitaryans, the organizer is the “Chakhruk” cultural NGO, and the partners are the Kharberd Specialized Orphanage and the “ARMNOUVO” organization.
The festival was held for the first time on July 25, 2021 at “Hayk” Square in Vanadzor.
