The meeting of the Armenian Catholic Mesrobian High School students with Mr. Guy Manoukian, the famous Lebanese-Armenian musician and sports figure, took place on November 27 in the Hovhannes Boghossian theater and offered very memorable moments to all the attendees.
The meeting was conducted by Mrs. Hasna Abou Elias, the head of department of the intermediate and secondary cycles at Mesrobian. In the opening speech, the school’s secondary cycle Armenian language teacher, Mrs. Serpoug Jenanian, reflected on Mr. Manoukian’s musical journey, from his young age to his international fame. She brought up the artist's important contribution to the Lebanese and Lebanese Armenian sports, which was materialized in the recent years by his strong support to the Homenetmen basketball representative group. Mrs. Jenanian said that through this meeting, Mr. Manoukian is getting close to his roots, in the Armenian school environment which played an important role in his formation as an artist, a responsible Armenian and a model Lebanese.
In a question-and-answer form, Mr. Manoukian first shared with the students his reflections on art, education, Armenian upbringing, the significance of the Armenian community in Lebanon as well as the most important turning points in his life and activity. In his final speech, he pointed out that he owes his success and achievements to his parents and teachers, each of whom has given their special touch to his artist profile. Mr. Manoukian emphasized that the new generation should learn to value Lebanon and its role and significance in the international community, and stick to this country which is an exceptional forge of talents in different fields of life despite all the difficulties.
Mr. Manoukian emphasized the importance of education in a 21st century person’s life and urged the students to develop as much as possible in that field. Referring to his activity in the sports, Guy Manoukian said that his support to the basketball team of an Armenian association, beyond the usual sports goals, aims to emphasize and represent the presence and strength of the Armenian community in Lebanon.
The meeting ended with Mesrobian’s Principal, Mr. Gregoire Kaloust’s speech, in which he thanked Mr. Manoukian for this encounter and called on the students to understand the importance of hard work and consistency which enabled Mr. Manoukian gain world recognition in the world of music.
During this meeting, a duet dance was executed by Kevin Solakian and Serena Kabanjian, whereas musical performances were presented by Kevin Solakian, as well as by the Quartet composed of Mark Gulgulian, Raffi Aswad, Jean-Pierre Vartanian and Paul Vahradian.