Flora Martirosyan would have turned 56 years old today

Today, on February 5, Honored Artist of the Republic of Armenia, the founder of the International Music School after Komitas, founder of the charity «Artists for Peace» Flora Martirosyan was born.

She inherited vocal skills from her mother, as she sang well, especially folk songs. She was “the singer of nursery school” and instead of nursery songs she sang songs which she heard from her mother like “Dle- yaman”,”Lamjer marjan”,”Machkal”.

She attended music school. In 1973 she took part in “Garoun 73” song contest, where among 800 participants she won the first place. At that time she was a student of music college after Kara Murza, at the department of piano and she had many projects related to her profession. Singing was her hobby. She also performed “Lanjer marjan” during Avetik Isahakyan’s anniversary and that predestined everything. State Folk Orchestra was to be established in Yerevan and Karen Demirchyan asked Georgy Asatryan, the director of “Armconcert” organization, to find the girl who had sung at Av. Isahakyan’s anniversary and to invite to Yerevan and to appoint as a soloist at the orchestra.

A Folk Song-Contest was organized in Gyumri. She didn’t take part in the that Song-Contest, as it was examination period. Her parents invited G. Asatryan to their house. He asked Flora if she had performed at Av. Isahakyan’s anniversary? They told her that they had come to Gyumri to find her. And they insisted her that she would have a great future in field of art of singing. So she came and worked as a soloist at the State folk orchestra.

Interesting life started for her. She understood that people liked her performances. She always went on tours, she had been to more than 70 countries. She studied at the Yerevan State Conservatory after Komitas. In 1987 she got married. In 1991 they left for the USA because of personal reasons, they had 2 children. A few years later they returned to motherland. From 1997 to 2001 she led The Music School after Armen Tigranyan in Yerevan. In 2001 their family moved to the USA. Latre they established International Music Academy after Komitas in USA in 2002. Not only Armenian but also foreign children get musical education there. In 2006 she initiated A Pan-Armenian Song Contest Festival. During that festival many young talentes appeared.

In 2008 Flora and Michael Stone created international organization “Artist for Peace” to raise awareness and underline the importance of the prevention of crimes against humanity, with the intercultural dialogues with Armenian and foreign artists. She never forgot her homeland living far from it. During those years she had 15 concerts in Armenia. Proceeds of her last concertshad been benefited to the fund of “Artists for Peace” which proud to present “NEVER AGAIN”, a concert program on November 1, 2011 that embraces genocide awareness and world peace. “NEVER AGAIN” will star 22-time Grammy winner, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Legend and United Nations Ambassador of Peace Stevie Wonder along with a host of internationally-famous friends and celebrities united in a cause to help build awareness about injustice in the world and the need of the international community to be of one voice.

Flora Martirosyan, died on November 20, 2012 in the USA.