Levon Sayan
Encyclopedia
Levon Sayan or Levon Sanosyan (born December 17, 1934) is a French-Armenia
n impresario and producer, as well as an opera
tic tenor
.
Levon Sayan was born in Aix-en-Provence
, France. He served in the French army in Indochina
. He started a career as a classical singer in 1966. Sayan recorded his first disc with Renée Doria
. As a tenor, he sang in "Rigoletto
", "Faust
", "Carmen
" and other operas.
He has also been the impresario of Liza Minnelli
, Plácido Domingo
and Mario del Monaco
, and he is widely known as the long-time impresario and friend of Charles Aznavour
.
Sayan is an officer of the "Légion d'honneur
".
On May 23, 2003, during a special reception the president of Armenia
, Robert Kocharyan, honored him with the Khorenatsi medal
. In 2006 he received the "Special Prize" of the Armenian National Music Award.
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n impresario and producer, as well as an opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
.
Levon Sayan was born in Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
, France. He served in the French army in Indochina
Indochina
The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...
. He started a career as a classical singer in 1966. Sayan recorded his first disc with Renée Doria
Renée Doria
Renée Doria is a French opera singer, one of the leading lyric coloratura soprano of her era in France.- Biography :...
. As a tenor, he sang in "Rigoletto
Rigoletto
Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...
", "Faust
Faust (opera)
Faust is a drame lyrique in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré from Carré's play Faust et Marguerite, in turn loosely based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust, Part 1...
", "Carmen
Carmen
Carmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
" and other operas.
He has also been the impresario of Liza Minnelli
Liza Minnelli
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....
, Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo KBE , born José Plácido Domingo Embil, is a Spanish tenor and conductor known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range...
and Mario del Monaco
Mario del Monaco
Mario Del Monaco was an Italian tenor who is regarded by his admirers as being one of the greatest dramatic tenors of the 20th century....
, and he is widely known as the long-time impresario and friend of Charles Aznavour
Charles Aznavour
Charles Aznavour, OC is an Armenian-French singer, songwriter, actor, public activist and diplomat. Besides being one of France's most popular and enduring singers, he is also one of the best-known singers in the world...
.
Sayan is an officer of the "Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
".
On May 23, 2003, during a special reception the president of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
, Robert Kocharyan, honored him with the Khorenatsi medal
Khorenatsi medal
The Khorenatsi medal is the Republic of Armenia's highest cultural award. It is presented by the president to people who have significantly contributed to the advancement of Armenian culture....
. In 2006 he received the "Special Prize" of the Armenian National Music Award.