INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL DIALOGUE

Reading Cultural Council seeking grant applications

Funding proposals are being accepted for community-oriented arts, humanities and science programs in Reading. The Reading Cultural Council has set an Oct. 17 deadline for organizations, schools and individuals to apply for grants that support cultural activities in the Reading community.

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Tigran Hamasyan, the pianist giving jazz an Armenian twist

He's the hottest pianist in jazz and he likes to mix things up, whether it's bebop, thrash metal or dubstep. But his heart is in the folk music of his native land

Herbie Hancock declared:

"Tigran, you are my teacher now!"

Tigran Hamasyan: 'I get into different types of music and really immerse myself in each one.'

Somewhere, there's home-movie footage of a three-year-old Tigran Hamasyan at his childhood home in rural Armenia. He is listening to Black Sabbath's Paranoid and freaking out on a toy guitar. "That was my childhood ambition," he laughs. "Still, to this day, if I could become a killer guitar player in a couple of years, I'd quit playing the piano and start learning now.

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3,000-year-old Settlement in Eastern Turkey reveals Armenian Traces

Largest archaeological settlement of Tunceli province was discovered bearing Armenian writing on ancient stones.

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Aurora Prize Ceremony

The inaugural Aurora Prize Ceremony

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Tigran Hamasyan wins ECHO Jazz 2016 Awards

Tigran Hamasyan has been named winners of   ECHO Jazz 2016 Awards

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The Oxford Handbook of Creative Industries – Book Review

Leonardo DiCaprio Gets Best Actor Nomination for 2016 Oscars

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British Council Armenia

The long-coveted event is on its way! The 14th British Film Festival featuring the best and brightest pieces of the British cinematography

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Natalie Cole's unforgettable life celebrated at star-studded Los Angeles memorial with

Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight and more

One of the greatest voices of all time was celebrated by music's biggest stars on Monday in Los Angeles.

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Montegrappa’s New Pens Highlight the History of Armenia

December 18, 2015

Crafted in collaboration with a group of Armenian artists, entrepreneurs, and clergy members, the new Montegrappa Erebouni series of writing instruments pays tribute to Armenia, the storied nation straddling Europe and Asia between the Black and Caspian seas. Carrying the ancient name of Armenia’s capital city of Yerevan, the collection comprises three versions: the top-shelf Hokevor, the limited-edition Haverj, and the standard-edition Kragan.

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ENCATC Cultural Policy and Cultural Management Research Award

AWARD CEREMONY 2015On the evening of 25 November in Brussels, Alessia Usai from Italy and Annika Hampel from Germany were announced as the winners of the 2015 ENCATC Research Award on Cultural Policy and Management. ENCATC, the European network on cultural policy and management, is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2015 ENCATC Research Award on Cultural Policy and Cultural Management:

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Concert in Vienna, dedicated to the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide

2015-11-07

The Concert “With you, Armenia” dedicated to the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide took place in Vienna, Austria on Saturday, November 7. The concert concluded the series of oversees cultural events took place recently in various major cities worldwide.
The concert was organized by the Armenian Genocide Centennial State Committee, Armenia’s Ministry of Culture and the Embassy of Armenia in Austria, in cooperation with Yerevan Perspectives International Music Festival.
The event took place at famous Wiener Musikverein concert hall’s main stage - the Grosser Saal.

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Pianist Martha Argerich is awarded top music honour

5 November 2015

Argentinian-born Argerich, 74, follows in the footsteps of Placido Domingo and Antonio Pappano, among others.
Argerich is known as one of the most innovative pianists and a strong supporter of new talent.

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Ban Ki-moon marks UN at 70

"In many respects, the world is shifting beneath our feet. Yet the Charter remains a firm foundation for shared progress.”

—Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

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"Glob to Globe tour" in Yerevan

The Globe Theatre World Tour is arriving in Yerevan with one performance only, within the framework of the High Fest Armenia theatre festival.
*The Hamlet Globe to Globe tour opened at Shakespeare’s Globe on 23 April 2014, the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth. This completely unprecedented theatrical adventure will see Hamlet tour to every single country on earth over 2 years. Sixteen extraordinary men and women are currently travelling across the seven continents, performing in a huge range of unique and atmospheric venues.
Director: Dominic Dromgoole / Bill Buckhurst

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Yo-Yo Ma performs 'The Swan' from 'Songs from the Arc of Life'

Famed classical cellist Yo-Yo Ma's latest album "Songs from the Arc of Life" is filled with the music that he considers to be the soundtrack of his life with pianist Kathryn Scott, from childhood to adulthood. He is joined by Anna Polonsky on piano to perform Camille Saint-Saens' "The Swan" on TODAY.

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Jazz-fusion pioneer George Duke's home and storied studio is for sale in Hollywood Hills

The longtime home of the late George Duke, where top musicians recorded in the commercial quality studio, is for sale in Hollywood Hills at $2.999 million. (Joel Danto)

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David Gilmour - Rattle That Lock

Die nuwe David Gilmour solo album 'ratel Dit Lock' vrygestel sal word op 18 September 2015. Die album sal beskikbaar wees as 'n CD-uitgawe met clothbound, foelie geblokkeer dekking, insluitend 'n 22-bladsy boekie. Ook beskikbaar sal 'n swaargewig vinyl, digitale aflaai en 'n luukse box uitgawe, wat sal insluit 4 Barn Jam films, 4 nie-album klank snitte, 4 dokumentêre, en 2 promo clips wees. Beskikbaar op CD + DVD of Blu-Ray sal insluit 2 gebind boeke, 'n dubbel-sided plakkaat, 'n poskaart en 'n David Gilmour plectrum.

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Culture advocates push for veto to be overturned

By Brian Benson/Daily News Staff

Local and statewide advocates for cultural initiatives are urging lawmakers to overturn Gov. Charlie Baker’s veto of about $2.4 million in funding slated for cultural initiatives through the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
The funding would support initiatives in communities, including providing money specifically for the state’s cultural districts.
A cultural district “is an economic development engine,” said Steve Levinsky, who is involved in organizing the Natick Center Cultural District. “To make the engine run, you have to have investment."
There are currently 29 districts across the state, including ones in Natick and Marlborough.

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Saudi prince pledges $32-B fortune to charity

Agence France-Presse

Saudi Arabia's billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal on Wednesday pledged his entire $32-billion (28.8-billion-euro) fortune to charitable projects over the coming years.The prince said in a statement that the "philanthropic pledge will help build bridges to foster cultural understanding, develop communities, empower women, enable youth, provide vital disaster relief and create a more tolerant and accepting world."

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Eldridge, Jordan: Fine culture, free on Fridays

By Sen. Jamie Eldridge and Blake Jordan

Here in MetroWest, the presence of our many local museums, gardens, historic homes and science and performing arts centers fosters an environment that is vibrant and dynamic. Clearly, area institutions - large and small - enrich the lives of our citizens in ways that are real, measurable and long-lasting.

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Pope's climate change encyclical tells rich nations: pay your debt to the poor

Pontiff’s 180-page intervention in climate change debate casts blame for ‘ecological crisis’ on the indifference of the powerful

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John Lennon’s lost 1962 Gibson Acoustic guitar up for sale

A long-lost guitar belonging to John Lennon is to be put up for auction in America and is expected to fetch up to 800,000 dollars.
The J-160E Gibson Acoustic guitar went missing during a Beatles Christmas show in 1963 and only turned up 50 years later in a US second-hand goods shop.
It was verified as authentic by an expert who matched the serial number and other features to photos and videos of Lennon playing the instrument.

The "King of the Blues", guitarist and singer BB King, has died aged 89

Armenia, Adrian Piper Win Venice Biennale’s Golden Lions

This afternoon, at a ceremony in the Most Serene Republic, the organizers of the Venice Biennale announced the full slate of winners for this, the 56th edition of the exhibition.

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Renowned German author Günter Grass dies, aged 87

Nobel Prize winner and taboo breaker: The German writer was an unruly spirit throughout his life.
Grass was an engaged citizen seen by some as a "moral authority," by others as a hypocrite. He passed away on April 13.

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Philharmonic Team

Dear Friends,

We'd like to inform you that tomorrow on March 20 at 19:00, at Opera and Ballet Theatre concert hall the Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra is presenting a very special concert celebrating the 1st public performance of our orchestra 90 years ago on March 20, 1925. You will listen to two great symphonies: Mozart - Symphony No.39 and Bruckner - Symphony No.4. Conductor: Eduard Topchjan.

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British Film Festival 13th Love Edition

British Council Armenia, British Embassy Yerevan, Beeline and Ministry of Culture of RA are happy to announce the launch of the British Film Festival 13th Love Edition which is dedicated to the idea of spreading and keeping love. The festival will be held in Yerevan from February 14 to 20.

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Jeff Lynne's ELO to team with Ed Sheeran for Grammys

Brian Mansfield, USA TODAY,  February 4, 2015

Jeff Lynne's ELO will perform with Ed Sheeran Sunday as part of an all-star moment with Herbie Hancock, John Mayer and The Roots' Questlove at the 57th Grammy Awards Sunday (CBS, 8 p.m. ET/tape delayed PT).
The recently reunited ELO, which played its first full show in 28 years in London this past September, features founding members Lynne and keyboardist Richard Tandy. The appearance is likely a precursor to a new album and U.S. tour later this year.

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Gloucester receives arts promotion honor

Posted Jan. 30, 2015 at 8:11 AM
GLOUCESTER
The City of Gloucester today announced that the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) will recognize the community’s leadership in promoting arts and culture with the 2015 Commonwealth Award in the Creative Community category.  The Commonwealth Awards, which honor exceptional achievement in the arts, humanities, and sciences, will be presented on Tuesday, February 24th at a State House ceremony.

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Ian Gillan addresses Gyumri Community

Yerevan /Mediamax/, Deep Purple Frontman Ian Gillan addressed a letter to the people of Gyumri regarding the tragedy of January 12.
Six members of the Avetisyan family, including their two-year-old daughter, were slain in Gyumri on January 12. Their six-month-old son Seryozha Avetisyan who got stab wounds on the day the rest of the family was killed died a week later. Soldier of Russian 102nd Military Base stationed in Gyumri Valery Permyakov is accused of the massacre.

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Blu-ray Review: Jeff Beck - Live in Tokyo

The virtuoso guitarist is captured live in Tokyo in this 2014 performance.

By General Jabbo on December 1, 2014

Jeff Beck and Japan have shared a mutual love affair for over 40 years. From his first visit in 1973 with Beck, Bogert & Appice, which resulted in a classic live album, to today, the country has always been a favorite of the guitarist. It's only natural then that Beck's first shows with his killer new band featuring Jonathan Joseph on drums, Nicolas Meier on guitar and Rhonda Smith on bass take place in Japan. An April show at the Tokyo Dome City Hall was filmed and makes up the Blu-ray Jeff Beck -- Live in Tokyo.

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Lavash was inscribed on UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

26.11.2014

On November 26 the decision to inscribe the nomination submitted by Armenia “Lavash, the preparation, meaning and appearance of traditional bread as an expression of culture in Armenia” on UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity was made at the ninth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Paris.
In 2013 submitted nomination went through procedural stages set out in the Convention, getting positive expert assessment

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Nostalgia Festival Poznań 2014

23-25.10.2014

organizer: Fundacja Malta
venue: kościół oo. Dominikanów / Dominican Church
composers: Elliott Carter / Tigran Mansurian
musicians: Anja Lechner / Tigran Mansurian / NeoQuartet / Maciej Grzybowski / Orkiestra Kameralna l'Autunno i Chór Akademicki UAM pod batutą Adama Banaszaka

New video for classic Wings 'Call Me Back Again'

This remastered version of the track will be released on Monday 3rd November on the 'Venus and Mars' reissue. Also released on the same day is the remastered 'At The Speed Of Sound'

Pink Floyd - The Endless River

The Endless River has as its starting point the music that came from the 1993 Division Bell sessions, when David Gilmour, Rick Wright and Nick Mason played freely together at Britannia Row and Astoria studios.  This was the first time they had done so since the ‘Wish You Were Here’ sessions in the seventies.  Those sessions resulted in The Division Bell, the band’s last studio album.
In 2013 David Gilmour and Nick Mason revisited the music from those sessions and decided that the tracks should be made available as part of the Pink Floyd repertoire.  It would be the last time the three of them would be heard together.  The band have spent the last year recording and upgrading the music,using the advantages of modern studio technology to create The Endless River.

Release date: 10 November 2014

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Joe Sample : 1939 - 2014

Jazz Keyboardist, Composer and Founding Member of the Jazz Crusaders died on Friday, September 12 in Houston, TX. He was 75.

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MCC seeks community grant proposals

Posted Sep. 4, 2014 @ 12:53 pm

MAYNARD

The Maynard Cultural Council has set an Oct. 15 postmark as the deadline for organizations, schools and individuals to apply for grants that support cultural activities in the community.
According to Council Spokeswoman Elizabeth Steiner Milligan, these grants can support a variety of artistic projects and activities serving Maynard, including exhibits, festivals, field trips, short-term artist residencies or performances in schools, workshops and lectures. Although priority consideration goes to grant applications from Maynard serving Maynard, grant applications for programs serving Maynard from the general area will be considered, too.

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Wings to reissue classic albums Venus and Mars and At The Speed Of Sound

The Wings albums Venus and Mars and At The Speed Of Sound will be the next releases in the Paul McCartney Archive Collection, arriving in stores on September 22nd (UK), and September 23rd (US), 2014.

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Festival of Contemporary Music showcases creative process

By Matthew Guerrieri  | GLOBE CORRESPONDENT   JULY 23, 2014

LENOX — For its Friday-afternoon concert, Tanglewood’s 2014 Festival of Contemporary Music offered a glimpse into the workshop: the yield of the Piece-a-Day project, a three-pieces-in-72-hours pedagogical enterprise for each of this summer’s Tanglewood Music Center composition fellows (YiYiing Chen, Arne Gieshoff, David Hertzberg, Andrew Hsu, and Elizabeth Kelly). The results ran the gamut, from jam-packed miniatures to provocative sketches. But they epitomized a festival that seemed to highlight the process of composition as much as the end product.
Fifty years after the first such festival — unusually for Tanglewood, an anniversary honored in the breach — the FCM still changes pattern and purpose from summer to summer. Co-directed by John Harbison and Michael Gandolfi, this year’s festival focused on former Tanglewood fellows; alumni composers formed a majority on most concerts. But the music echoed the work of composing, accentuating one part of the toolkit, then another: sound, syntax, style.

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Lorin Maazel has died aged 84

14 JULY 2014

Conductor and composer Lorin Maazel has died at his home in the US while preparing for an annual festival. He was 84.
The Castleton Festival said he died today at Castleton Farms in Rapphannock County, Virginia, from complications following pneumonia.
It announced Maazel's death in a statement posted on its website and the conductor's.
Mr Maazel founded the festival with his wife, Dietlinde Turban Maazel, in 2009.

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Paul McCartney at Early Days Music video shoot in Los Angeles, California

By SIMON VOZICK-LEVINSON

JULY 7, 2014 10:00 AM

"Early Days" is one of the highlights of Paul McCartney's most recent album, 2013's New, but its music video — which you can watch exclusively here — might never have happened if it was left up to McCartney. "When I've got a song, I don't think about the video," the singer says. "I'm sure some people do, but I don’t. I just think about the song, first writing it, then recording it."

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JAZZ AT THE OPERA: TORD GUSTAVSEN

Premier August 11. 2014/ Main House

Oslo Jazz Festival 2014 will open at the Norwegian Opera & Ballet on Monday the 11th of August 2014. The featured artist of the concert is the Norwegian composer and pianist Tord Gustavsen. 
The music expands from warm soundscapes of the highly acclaimed Tord Gustavsen Trio to newly commissioned works introducing the young talented singer Synne Sanden. The ensemble also gives room for distinct musical voices, like trumpeter Arve Henriksen and others (to be announced). Gustavsen's musical universe can be recognized as both familiar and brand new, and points to chamber jazz, lyric minimalism, strong melodies, subtle grooves and abstract gospel.

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Paul McCartney Nixes Japan Tour Due to Illness

May 20th 2014

Rock legend Paul McCartney has canceled his entire Japan tour just days after saying he had come down with a virus, organizers said Tuesday.

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Music Icon Harvey Mason Drops New Album ~ April 29, 2014

By Veritas on Mar.28, 2014

Harvey Mason is among the most recorded and in-demand drummers of all-time. A legendary, multi-GRAMMY® nominated session drummer, producer, composer & recording artist, he has worked with a pantheon of musical giants, including Barbra Streisand, James Brown, Herbie Hancock, Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, Usher, Jennifer Hudson, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Bjork, Carlos Santana, Michael Jackson, John Legend, Seal, and the London Symphony Orchestra. He has composed and written songs recorded by artists ranging from Nancy Wilson and Mary J. Blige to The Notorious B.I.G., Lupe Fiasco, Nelly/P. Diddy and T.I.

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Magie des Ausdrucks - Solistische Instrumentalmusik von Tigran Mansurian

20.03.2014

Seit mehr als einem Jahrzehnt widmet sich ECM New Series der Musik Tigran Mansurians. Jetzt legt das Label ein ausdrucksstarkes Album mit neuen Instrumentalwerken des großen armenischen Komponisten vor, der in diesem Jahr 75 Jahre alt wird.
Alles ist komplizierter geworden. Unser Leben, unsere Beziehungen, unser Wissen und natürlich auch die Kunst. Vor diesem Hintergrund entfalten reduzierte Formen des Ausdrucks seit jeher in der Moderne ihren eigenen Charme. Sie schaffen neue Räume des Innehaltens, der Konzentration und des geduldigen Zuhörens. Kaum ein Label hat diesem Aspekt in der Musik so viel Aufmerksamkeit zuteil werden lassen wie ECM New Series. Seit dem furiosen Erfolg von Arvo Pärts "Tabula Rasa" (1984) überrascht Label-Gründer Manfred Eichner sein Publikum Jahr für Jahr mit immer neuen Geschenken aus der "Neuen Serie". Man weiß nie, was kommt, aber man kann sicher sein, dass es Seele hat und modern ist.
Ost und West

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Spanish Flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucia dies at 66

26 February 2014

World-renowned Spanish guitarist Paco de Lucia has died aged 66 in Mexico, reportedly of a heart attack while playing with his children on a beach.
The death of one of the most celebrated flamenco guitarists was announced by the mayor's office in Algeciras in southern Spain, where he was born.
He is said to have died in the Mexican resort of Cancun.
Famous for a series of flamenco albums in the 1970s, he also crossed over into classical and jazz guitar.
He also worked on films by Spanish director Carlos Saura, notably appearing in his 1983 version of Carmen, which won a UK Bafta award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1985.

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12th British Film Festival

British Film Festival 12th Edition is organised by the British Council with the support of the British Embassy Yerevan, UNICEF and ArmenTel (brand name Beeline). In addition to showcasing the best of the British film industry of the recent years, training and competitions will be organised.

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Celebrating the Centenary of Benjamin Britten in Armenia

Live performance on the Wings of Tatev for the first time ever! On 22 November Mirzoyan Quartet will perform Britten’s Simple Symphony on Wings of Tatev to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of renown British composer. The tribute performance will honour Britten’s visit to Armenia back in 1965, during which he visited Syuniq region, one of the most picturesque parts of the country.

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Yo-Yo Ma via Boston Symphony Orchestra

Yo-Yo Ma will join the Boston Symphony under the direction of Stéphane Denève for five concerts this week, including an Open Rehearsal on the morning of Thursday, October 3!
Prokofiev, Shostakovich and Strauss (Open Rehearsal)
Thursday, October 3, 2013 10:30AM
Symphony Hall - Boston, MA
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Yo-Yo Ma, cello

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Artists' mobility and visas: a step forward

As a part of its advocacy activities for better conditions for the international mobility of artists and cultural professionals, On the Move (OTM) tackles visa issues: on this crucial theme we organised a training workshop in November, 15th- 16th in Brussels focused to Schengen visas. The results of this workshop form the core of this report, that presents specific obstacles faced by mobile artists, confronts theory and practice, and suggests concrete solutions. Mobility happens anyway: let’s make it happen better!

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David of Sassoun on UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list

Daredevils of Sassoun, an Armenian Folk Epic, has been included in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.
The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage discussed the issue in its 7th session in Paris, France, on December 5.

Torrione Jazz Club

At the Torrione Jazz Club in Ferrara on 21 November, soloists from the COE (Clara Andrada de la Calle - flute, Chris Cowie - oboe, Kate Gould - cello, and Clive Williamson - piano) will present an evening of contemporary music focusing on the composers Cornelius Cardew, Carl Vine, Gilles Silvestrini, Anton Webern, Witold Lutoslawski, Cristobal Halffter and Frederic Rzewski. The performance is part of the concert series ‘OFF’, which is a partnership between Ferrara Jazz club and Ferrara Musica. The series aims to explore new musical territory by offering a synergy of classical, jazz and contemporary music with concerts performed by Ferrara Musica’s regular ensembles.

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US architect Gehry wins top Spain prize

MADRID - Agence France-Presse
May/07/2014

US architect Frank Gehry won Spain's top annual arts award for decades spent creating eye-catching buildings such as the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the prize jury said on Wednesday.

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Photo exhibition in Tbilisi on Parajanov’s 90th birthday

Gita Elibekyan
Public Radio of Armenia
Tbilisi
09.01.2014

An exhibition of Sergey Parajanov’s photos has opened been opened at the “Hayartun” CulturalCenter in Tbilisi on the 90th birthday of the renowned Armenian film director. Ron Holloway’s film “Parajanov: A Requiem” will be screened within the framework of the event.
“I’m an Armenian living in Tbilisi accused of Ukrainian nationalism,” Parajanov once said about himself. “Wherever I live, I shoot good films. Even if I’m sent to Africa, I’ll shoot good African movies,” he added.

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Rare VOX Beatles Guitar to Be Sold in Huge Auction

May 15, 2013

NEW YORK—A rare collection of iconic music and entertainment memorabilia will be auctioned off in New York City Saturday at the Hard Rock Cafe. The collection, which includes a rare VOX guitar used by George Harrison and John Lennon, will be auctioned on Saturday, May 18.
The annual Julien’s Auctions Music Icons auction will include a wide array of music memorabilia from a range of icons including Elvis Presley, David Bowie, The Grateful Dead, Madonna, Jimi Hendrix, David Cassidy, Bette Midler, Beyoncé, Michael Jackson, and others. Also on sale will be the original eagle cape that Elvis planned to use during a 1973 Aloha From Hawaii concert, but it proved too heavy to wear. A lighter version was used during the performance.

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