Biography
Lusine Zakaryan (Armenian: Լուսինե Զաքարյան, born Svetlana Apetovna Zakaryan; June 1, 1937 – December 30, 1992) was an Armenian operatic soprano. From 1970 to 1983, she was a soloist with the symphony orchestra of Armenian TV and Radio. She was also a member of the choir of the Armenian Apostolic Church's Holy See at Echmiadzin Cathedral, and she is especially remembered for her interpretations of traditional Armenian spiritual hymns.
Zakaryan was born in Akhaltsikhe, in the Georgian SSR, and spent her early years in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region of southern Georgia. In 1952, her family moved to Yerevan, Armenia, where she attended a secondary music school. In 1957, she entered the Yerevan State Musical Conservatory, where her vocal talent quickly gained recognition.
She began her professional career in 1962 and soon became widely known beyond Armenia. Zakaryan toured internationally, performing in Europe, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Uruguay, and the Middle East. Her repertoire was diverse, including pieces in 15 languages and works by composers such as Bach, Handel, Mozart, Verdi, and Schubert.
In 1972, she was awarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR. Her recordings have been archived in music libraries around the world. Lusine Zakaryan died after a serious illness on December 30, 1992, in Yerevan. Although the government did not permit her funeral to be held in Komitas Park Pantheon, with the consent of Catholicos Vazgen I, she was buried on January 2, 1993, in the yard of St. Gayane Church in Etchmiadzin, where her grave remains today.
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