Presentation
Halls
National Theater and Concert Hall of Taipei (Taiwan)
Carnegie Hall (USA)
Lincoln Center – Alice Tully Hall (USA)
Strathmore Hall (USA)
Cité de la Musique (France)
Le Quartz (France)
Тhéâtre Nanterre-Amandiers (France)
Teatro Dal Verme (Italy)
Tchaikovsky Concert Hall (Russia),
The Saint Petersburg Court Chapel (Russia)
The State Hermitage Museum's Hall (Russia)
Competitions/festivals
“The International Music Festival of Sion Valais” (Switzerland)
“Emilia-Romagna” (Slovenia)
“Beiteddine Art Festival” (Lebanon)
“RheinVokal Festival” (Germany)
“MustonenFest” (Estonia)
“MIDEM” (France)
“Polyfollia” (France)
“Prosvetitel” (Russia)
“Gaude Mater” (Poland)
“Logos” (Poland)
“Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival” (Poland)
“Festival van Vlaanderen” (Belgium)
“Les Sacrees Journees” (Italy)
“La Fabbrica del Canto” (Italy)
“Südtirol” (Italy)
“Yerevan Perspectives” International Music Festival (Armenia)
"Komitas" International Festival (Armenia)
Aram Khachaturian Fest (Armenia)
"Spiritual Music Festival of South Ural" (Russia)
Participation
“Aurora” humanitarian initiative Gratitude in Action
“Golden Apricot” International Film Festival (Armenia)
Gala Concert of Francophonie Summit (Armenia)
Collaborations
Krzysztof Penderecki
Sofia Gubaidulina
Rodion Shchedrin
Giya Kancheli
Andres Mustonen
Robertas Shervenikas
David Geringas
John Nelson
Michal Klauza
Bronius Kutavičius
Lior Shambadal
Florian Helgath
Gidon Kremer
Pavel Vernikov
Andrea Becelli
Trilok Gurtu
Awards
Gold Medal in the First World Choir Olympiad in Linz (Austria)
Gold Medal of the Ministry of Culture of Armenia
“The Best Musical Project of year 2009” for the choral performance “The Parallel”
“Best Classical Voice-Opera Choral Album ”Six Fables” based on the fables of Vardan Aygektsi (USA)
“We are all in this together” (Music Awards, USA)
“The best project of the year” (“Tsitsernak”, 2017)
“The best Choir of the year” (“Thitsernak”, 2018)
Partners
VivaCell-MTS Company (General Manager R. Yirikian, till 01.09.2018)
“Luys” foundation (till 01.04.2018)
“Aurora” humanitarian initiative Gratitude in Action (2017)
"My Step" Foundation (from 2018)
Famous People about Hover
1. Krzysztof Penderecki (Polish composer and conductor)
“Hover is the best choir I have ever heard. And I have heard thousands of them”.
2. Rodion Shchedrin (Russian composer and pianist)
“The performance of “The Sealed Angel” liturgy by Hover Chamber Choir conducted by Sona Hovhannisyan was amazing, simply fabulous. The choir prepared themselves inwardly, in their hearts. The concert hall was packed, people were standing in the aisles due to lack of seats. You could record live there. There exists an old tradition of sacred music in the Armenian culture”.
3. Sofia Gubaidulina (Russian composer)
“The choir was wonderful. I am overwhelmed. In the piece “Jetzt immer Schnee” that the choir performed there is a small verse that is always read by man. When I learned it was to be read by woman's voice I felt a little worried. It was incredible, unforgettable how profoundly touching it sounded…”
4. Moczar Gabor (Vice president of European Choral Association – Europa Cantat)
“It is my privilege to greet on behalf of the European Choral Association – Europa Cantat the wonderful Hover Chamber Choir for being an outstanding cultural ambassador of Armenian choral music! Wishing much success to you all for your future activity. Also forwarding the best wishes of our president, Mr. Sante Fornasier and the Board of European Choral Association – Europa Cantat”.
5. Atom Egoyan (film director)
"'Armenian Voices' is a wonderful introduction to an amazing choir. This is a beautifully produced CD that I will cherish"
6. Eduard Topchjan (Principle Conductor of the Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra)
“Hover Chamber Choir is indeed a unique phenomenon in the modern Armenian musical reality. Due to high level of proficiency and a unique interpretational manner typical to Hover, the choir has gained acclaim and appreciation not only in Armenia but also beyond its borders, spreading the art of the Armenian choral singing all over the world. Our mutual productive and enjoyable creative cooperation is bound to last”.
7. Anna Arevshatyan (Doctor of Arts)
“It's necessary to point out absolutely amazing participation in performing of “Styx” by Giya Kancheli of Hover Chamber Choir led by Sona Hovhannisyan. Many years she bravely takes over most difficult choral scores and skillfully interprets them. Hover Choir is an undisputed leader among other Armenian choral groups.՞
8. Elzbieta Penderecka ( Ludwig Van Beethoven Easter Festival, Founder)
The spouse of a great maestro pointed out that she is particularly impressed by the performing skill of Hover Chamber Choir. “In many countries of the world I listened to how the works of Krzysztof Pendercki are performed, but the Armenian choir has its exceptional approach."
9. Svetlana Sarkisyan (Doctor of Arts)
Music by Rodion Shchedrin impressed all around also due to a brilliant performing quality provided by Hover Chamber Choir in collaboration with invited singers from other choirs, under artistic guidance of Sona Hovhannisyan. Discipline and a continuous improvement of vocal technique granted this choir a strong reputation and acknowledgement in many countries of the world. Versatile repertoire of Hover Chamber Choir often orientated towards contemporary music renewing its choral palette, allows inclusion of works of various styles.
After recent success with interpretation of works by Krzysztof Penderecki, this performance of the Sealed Angel by Shchedrin was another proof of a new level of skill, after all enriching Armenian performing art.
10. Z. Ter-Ghazaryan (Musicologist)
“Hover has its own character, style, finally – a charm, which perhaps is one of its most striking factors. You can see rarely among us a choir with a beautiful tune, which does not yell for achieving a forte, possesses completely the technique of sound pronunciation, has an outline of homogeneous ensemble. Along with their harmonic unity, the singers of the choir also realize themselves as independent soloists and intertwine their voices in the wholeness with respective devotion."
11. “The New York Times”, May 27, 2015
“…Sponsored by the Yerevan Perspectives International Music Festival, the event was part of an international tour featuring the impressive Hover State Chamber Choir, founded by Sona Hovhannisyan, who conducted the impressive 25-voice ensemble in the rewarding first half of the program. There were arrangements of Armenian folk songs and liturgical works, several contemporary selections, a Britten carol and the world premiere of a choral setting of Psalm 3 by the Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki composed in remembrance of the genocide”.
12. Natalya Gomtsyan ("Golos Armenii", correspondent, October 27, 2017)
This Choir is relatively young, but has already managed to gain space love. “Hover” – it doesn’t mean only the title of the Choir. It is familiar name: it’s the image and symbol of Armenia all over the world; it’s called the visit card of the country abroad.
The Choir appeared not at the most convenient time for art. It was 1992 when no one was busy with the art. The initiator and founder was Sona Hovhannisyan. She has gathered a small student group and they never took the flow, they always found their own way.
Communicate with Hovhannisyan is interesting: her ideas maybe ironic, subjective, emphatically categorical, but they are always based on a deep knowledge of the subject. She has a talent of opening the poetry in sound. She is always full of professional perfection and human straightforwardness."