Young Musician: Qamishli s cultural diversity inspired me
Qamishli – North-Press Agency
Reem Chamoun
Among his students, whose ages don’t exceed 10 years, Harutiyon Madarjian stands bending on his guitar as he teaches them the importance of hand flexibility in playing this instrument, helping them to learn to play music instruments from a young age, just like him.
Harutiyon Madarjian along with his family were displaced from the city of Raqqa to Qamishli more than five years ago, carrying his passion for music with him, to open Harmony Institute for Music in 2016.
In an interview with North-Press, Madarjian talked about his beginnings with playing the violin: “Since I was a child I liked music and it was my greatest passion, so my father registered me at an institute for music at the age of eight years.”
As fo the reason of choosing the city of Qamishli, Madarjian explained that “the cultural diversity of this city inspired me and motivated me to establish a musical band, singing and playing in all languages of the region’s components, Kurdish, Syriac, Armenian, Assyrian, and Arabic,” pointing out that he aims to spread this rich cultural heritage of the city.
At the age of ten, Madarjian participated in pioneers competitions of Talaa al-Baath in his school and was in the first place over the country level for two consecutive years in 2007-2008. In the next year, he received a special scholarship to Tunisia and Egypt to learn playing the violin in a professional way.
Tommy Chamoun, the piano trainer in the institute, said that when he came from Damascus, he met Madargian by chance and he wanted to expand the institute, where he was only training on the violin. However, Chamoun has been working as a piano trainer at the institute for two years.
Roni Jamal, a student at Harmony Institute and a new trainer of the guitar, said that he wishes to become a skilled player of the guitar.
Madarjian participated in the first solo festival held by al-Jazira Artists Union earlier this year, and won the first jury award among 38 participants from different cities of al-Jazira, Raqqa and Damascus.