Sibil to Perform in NJ on March 31

In 2010, the angelic voice of Armenian choir singer Sibil captured the attention and hearts of Turkey’s population. The headlines read, “For the first time an Armenian singer is being heard in the streets of Istanbul.”

Sibil

Sibil and her sister Garin were born in Istanbul, where their family name was changed from Torosyan to Pektorosoglu. Her father, Garbis, a goldsmith, was born in Istanbul, while her mother, Mari, has a Sepastatsi/Tokatsi background. Sibil was named after the well-known Armenian writer Zabelle Asadour, whose penname was Sibil.

The first music notes she heard were the prayers and hymns of the Armenian Church, as her father would take her to church every Sunday morning as a child. Her talent and love for music were discovered by her parents, when Sibil would come home and sing and recite the prayers she had just heard during the church services. However, the opportunities were not there for young Sibil to develop a strong foundation in music.

Sibil attended the Mihitaryan elementary school in Istanbul and then studied finance. She currently holds an important position in a financial institution. But her passion for music never faded. Since 1991, she has been a member and the lead soloist of St. Vartanantz Choir inIstanbul. Her break came in 1999 when she appeared on stage in the production of Dikran Chookhajian’s musical comedy ‘Leblebiji,” which was sponsored at the time by the Istanbul Esayan Alumni. It was in that production that she met one of Istanbul’s most respected modern-day composers and musicians, Majak Tosikyan. Sibil sang his beautiful songs in such an inspiring way that she became his best Armenian music interpreter.

In 2010, Sibil realized her life-long dream: Her own CD was released with 11 songs, produced with the help of Armenian, Greek, and Turkish artists. The songs “Namag,” “Desnem Ani’n oo Nor Mernem,” “Giligya,” “Im Anoush Davigh,” “Oror,” “Hisus,” “Der Voghormia,” “Tzarav Seri,” “Gyanki mi Hamar,” “Siro Tzayni,” and “Nayem” were echoed through the streets of Istanbul. People liked what they heard—the Armenian singer was accepted.

Sibil’s voice continued to echo on the Armenian stage in Istanbul, in the Armenian churches as well as in the Holy Cross Armenian Church on the Island of Akhtamar. Some of Sibil’s songs were released as videos and attracted thousands of Turkish and Armenian fans. Turkey’s leading private TV channels, as well as the country’s state-run broadcasters, broke new ground by airing Armenian music videos for the first time in Turkey’s history. Sibil’s also videos appeared on YouTube, showcasing her unique voice and style to a larger audience all over the world.

In the summer of 2011, Sibil was invited to Armenia to sing at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Pan-Armenian Games. That performance was broadcast live on Armenian TV and was watched with admiration throughout the Armenian Diaspora.

On March 31, Sibil will make her debut appearance in the New York Metropolitan Area when she performs at the Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, N.J. The evening is being sponsored by Constantinople Armenian Relief Society (CARS). Co-chairs of the event are Tamar Kayserian and Hilda Nisanyan. “It is a major undertaking that requires a lot of organization and planning. That evening, Sibil will be accompanied on stage by musicians both fromTurkeyand theUnited States. There will be pianist, violinists, cellists, base-guitar, drummer, and a kanun player. Shushi Dance Ensemble will also appear on the stage to interpret the songs through dance and to enrich the evening’s program,” said Kayserian, the president of CARS. “The Bergen County Academies’ Auditorium has 1,192 seats and we are confident that we will have a sold-out evening.”

Tickets are priced at $50, $35, and $25, and can be secured by calling Adi Abdo at (973) 761-1544, Arpi Misserlian at (973) 907-2898, Linda Araz Berenson at (201) 561-0172, Margrit Hamparsoumian at (914) 686-0840, Lusin Garabedian at (718) 776-9513, or Hilda Biosyan Sheshedian at (516) 864-6966.

3 Comments

  1. CORRECTION: the performance is in New Jersey, in the city of Hackensack (which basically is considered part of “the New York Metropolitan Area” with some stretch, the location is the High School auditorium known as the Bergen County Academies which is at 200 Hackensack Ave of Hackensack city. You come to it from Manhattan of New York by taking George Washington bridge to New Jersey and you take Route 4, keep going until you reach Hackensack Ave that crosses Route 4 and make a turn toward south, the opposite direction of the River-Mall located at the intersection. When you drive less than a mile in the Hackensack Ave at number 200 on your left you see big buildings that are made from red-bricks, the Academies is there.

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