Folk Artist Suren Gyanjumyan Passes Away

On the morning of May 14, Suren Gyanjumyan, a distinguished figure of Armenian art and a People's Artist of Armenia, passed away at the age of 87.

The information was confirmed in a conversation with Tert.am by Suren Gyanjumyan's grandson, composer Edgar Gyanjumyan.

Suren Gyanjumyan was born on June 19, 1932, in Turkmenistan. He studied at Yerevan's Vocational Technical School No. 2 from 1947 to 1950 and attended the Higher School of the Trade Union in Saint Petersburg from 1966 to 1977. From 1950 to 1966, he worked as a lathe operator at the Precision Instrument Factory.

In 1957, he organized and created a dance group at the Precision Instrument Factory. From 1958 to 1983, he created and directed children's ensembles for singing and dancing at the Trade House. He taught as a lecturer in rhythm and dance arts at Yerevan A. Babajanyan Musical College from 1967 to 1977. Between 1967 and 1971, he created and directed the folk dance ensemble at the Culture Center of Yerevan Railways, as well as the celebrated folk dance group “Kanaz,” a multiple award winner at global and international festivals in 1965. In 1973, he created and led the youth dance ensemble “Garun,” which also won accolades at national and international festivals.

Since 2009, he had been teaching at the Department of Dance Pedagogy at the Armenian State Pedagogical University after Khachatur Abovian. He was a member of the National Union of Dance Art and Dance Experts of Armenia. He staged several dance works, including “Berd,” “Zmrukhiti,” “Shoror,” “Leftist Hunters,” “Armenian Heroes,” “Shalakho,” “Shatakhi Play-Dance,” “Yeghenadzor People,” “Ossetian,” “Moldovan,” “Gypsy,” “Zurna-Trumpet,” “Georgian Pair Dance,” “Nairian Girls,” and “Erebuni,” among others. He was honored as a Meritorious Artist of Armenia in 1984, named an honorary citizen of Yerevan in 2004, and recognized as a People's Artist of Armenia in 2007.