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Gevorg Davidian is quite a famous figure among representatives of Turkish classical music, but his appointment as director of Istanbul Opera and Ballet Theatre is in a sense surprising, Astghik Igityan, a Turkilogist, told Panorama.am when commenting on the appointment of the opera singer of Armenian descent to that position.

“Davidian is quite well-known among representative of classical music in Istanbul. He participated in a number of local and international festivals and has worked as artistic director of various choirs in recent years. Yet there was no talk so far about his possible appointment so the decision is somewhat surprising,” A. Igityan noted.

In her words, it is noteworthy that information about G. Davidian’s appointment was released by Turkey-based Armenian-language paper ‘Agos’, while the Turkish press keeps silent on it. Moreover, there has been no information about his appointment on the official websites of Turkish Culture Ministry and Istanbul Opera and Ballet Theatre.

Nevertheless, the fact that an ethnic Armenian will hold such a position is an important event in the cultural life of Istanbul’s Armenian community.