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About the Choir

 

In Armenian [pronounced hoe-ver]

Full Bio

The Armenian word Hover (wind) frequently occurs in beautiful folk songs by Komitas, a revered name in Armenian sacred and folk music, which is part of the choir's core repertoire. Wind is a primordial element of nature and a life force - it is part of the 'ecology of the soul', a spirit sweeping through time and, like an epic, legend or tale........

This youthful, musically progressive chamber choir is proud to be able to present Armenian music to the wider world. Both old and new music from the Armenian nation has been a very well-kept secret. Hover has been privileged to be able to be one of the most active Chamber choirs in promoting Armenian music and the wealth of treasure with which this beholds.

The internationally acclaimed, award-winning Hover: Chamber Choir of Armenia was established in Yerevan, Armenia in 1992 as a performing arts group, consisting of 26 singers many of whom are students, or graduates, of the Komitas National Conservatory in Yerevan, Armenia. The choir is supported by donations and honoraria. The tale of Hover began over ten years ago, and continues to evolve......

Hover is a musical ambassador for Armenia and Armenian music, winning diplomas at the International Polyphonic Music Festival in Arezzo, Italy in 1997 and the International Competition in Tours, France as well as the gold medal at the International Choir Olympiad in Linz, Austria in 2000. In September 2003 Hover toured Great Britain, presenting concerts in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cambridge and London.

Among the major works it has performed in the past five years are Bach's St John and St Matthew Passions, Britten's Cantata Misericordia, Buxtehude’s Magnificat, Ludwig Basil's setting of St Gregory of Narek's Book of Lamentations, Requiems by Mozart and Cherubini, Avet Terteryan’s Sixth Symphony, as well as numerous collections of Armenian sacred and folk music.

2003, Hover present Armenian music to the general public of the United Kingdom, singing in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cambridge and London to critical acclaim.

In 2003 Hover performed “Six Fables,” a choral performance of Armenian fabulist Vardan Aigektsi's Fables composed by Stepan Babatorosyan, which has been characterised as a new genre in music culture.

2002, Hover performed with the renowned London Sinfonietta, singing in the world premiere of Stephan Rostomyan's 'Entrance', conducted by Diego Masson.

2001, the male staff of Hover were recorded for the soundtrack of the eminent Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan's movie, “Ararat.”

Music critics in Armenia, Russia, France, Italy, Austria and the United Kingdom have praised Hover for its timbre, precision and sophisticated handling of close harmonies and complex rhythms of Armenian, classical and especially modern works. The choir has a rich and varied repertoire of Armenia and Western sacred and classical works, folk songs and popular music. Hover's youthful energy and new genres make an immediate connection with the larger listening public.

 
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