 |
Grikor Mirzayants-Suni Chorus
Shushi 1902 / 3 academic year
|
The Suni Project was formed
in 1992, under the guidance of Grikor
Mirzaian Suni's son, Gourgen
(George) Suny, to collect, preserve and present
Suni's music through recordings, publications, and performances.
Gourgen (George) Suny was himself
a conductor and arranger of Armenian music. He coached
the singers for our first CD recording (1997), "Armenian
Songs of Grikor Mirzaian Suni (1876-1939): Vocal Solos
and Duets", and for our first big concert of
all-Suni songs, at the University of Michigan's Rackham
Auditorium in Ann Arbor, March 5, 1994. He opened the
archive which he'd inherited from his father, and taught
us the music. Before he died, he asked his daughter-in-law
to carry on with Suni's music. After Gourgen
(George) Suny's death, his archive moved from Philadelphia
to Ann Arbor, Michigan with his son Ronald Grigor Suny
and wife Armena Marderosian. |
Grikor Mirzaian Suni created the
Armenian Musical Society of America (American-Armenian Musical
Society) and led Suni Choruses in several US cities, 1924-1939.
He'd created Armenian folk choruses in every population of
Armenians he'd lived among, starting with his hometown of
Shushi (Armenian region Russian empire) in 1895, and towns
in the Middle East as well as St. Petersburg, Russia and India.
He created and conducted orchestras, and organized Armenians
into community choruses to lead them in his own concert arrangements
of their own native music. He wrote many original works including
vocal solos and duets, orchestral suites, instrumental solos,
operetta, and opera. He worked with people to elevate and
inspire them with high art, and also to organize them. He
recognized the power of music, and the need for music.
Suni's son Gourgen (George) Suny
sang in the choruses, and when Suni died after conducting
choruses for 49 years, this son picked up the baton himself
to lead Armenian choruses for over 40 years. Suni's other
sons, Reuben, Souren, and Armen also were involved.
Suni's
daughters
Siran and Seda
sang in his choruses, and both danced. Seda
was a professional dancer, choreographer, teacher and artistic
director who spoke about her father's work on her 1986
Voice of America interview.
|
