AGBU supports UWC Dilijan College

Owing to the AGBU’s donation, the College now has Yamaha C7 grand piano which is considered one of the finest musical instruments in the world.

Berge Setrakian, AGBU President, Vasken Yacoubian, AGBU Central Board Member, Ruben Vardanyan and Veronika Zonabend, two of the principal Founders of the UWC Dilijan, and Noubar Afeyan, AGBU, UWC Dilijan Board and IDeA Board member and head of IDeA Foundation Edgar Manukyan attended the concert together with the students and numerous other guests.

“Tonight we are celebrating the purchase of the brand new Yamaha grand piano, which we have bought to use part of the grant that has been given to us by AGBU. The AGBU promised to make a grant, available to the school to promote music, culture, art not just in the school but in Dilijan and in the region’’, noted Head of UWC Dilijan College John Puddefoot.

Touching upon the cooperation with the College, AGBU President Berge Setrakian noted:

“Our institutions share similar descriptions. When the project of UWC Dilijan was just beginning, many people didn’t believe it would be put into practice. Honestly, I was also doubting. And when it proved to be such a success, we bring our small contribution. Our relations with both IDeA Foundation and the College is very close and after all, everyone tries to do our best to empower our motherland”.

Noubar Afeyan, who is member of AGBU, UWC Dilijan Board and IDeA Boards, also said he was happy with the cooperation in the education field.

“I’m very happy that the largest Diaspora organization and young UWC Dilijan collaborate over such projects. Education is one of the key fields of our country and nation and it has always been a priority area for the AGBU; now, we support Dilijan College which brings together students from across the globe. It is education that brings us together and it’s the most powerful instrument ensuring progress”, he noted.

Co-Founder of UWC Dilijan College Veronika Zonabend thanked the donors for their support.

“The concept of the event and wonderful musicians’ performances are very symbolic. It symbolized the first rejuvenation of the cultural life and the town, which used to be very rich, and the name of Dilijan is connected with such world-known names, as Khachaturian, Benjamin Britten and other musicians, famous directors, pianists and artists. And we hope, that this concert is the start of this life, and we will see here many names not only of the past”, she said.

The programme of the concert consisted of three nineteenth-century pieces by Robert Schumann, Felix Mendelssohn and Claude Debussy played by Marine Karoyan (piano), Director of Music at UWC Dilijan, Astghik Vardanyan (violin), concertmaster of the Armenian State Chamber Orchestra, and Garnik Yengibaryan (cello), concertmaster of the cello group in the State Opera Symphony Orchestra.