HELPING DISADVANTAGED YOUTH THROUGH CHORAL SINGING
Country: Lebanon
This presentation will focus on the success of the Fayha Choir, founded in Lebanon by Barkev Taslakian in 2008. The choir aims to rid children and youth refugees, and those who live in poor areas, from making unhealthy choices including dropping out of school, dealing/doing drugs, joining gangs, carrying arms, and so on.
Through the Fayha Choir and its activities more than ten thousand children and youth have embraced and learnt about noble life principles such as love, helping, accepting others… all through choir singing.
Born in ‘Anjar (Lebanon), Barkev Taslakian studied and practiced conducting with Harutyun Topikyan and Yervant Yerkanian. Today he is the founder and conductor of all three branches of the Fayha Choir in Tripoli, Beirut and Cairo.
Under Taslakian’s direction the Fayha Choir has performed concerts in Lebanon, Armenia, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Cyprus, Nagorni Karabakh, Poland, Tunisia, Emirates, Egypt, France, Canada, China, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Sweden, KSA, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and Greece.
Barkev is director of several music groups for children and young refugees in the north and south of Lebanon, in Bekaa’ and in Beirut within the socio-cultural projects in cooperation with local and international organizations concerned with social, educational and psychological life of children refugees and immigrants