Lusine Zakaryan

Who was Lusine Zakaryan?

Lusine Zakaryan, born Svetlana Zakaryan Լուսինե Զաքարյան, Лусинэ Абетовна Закарян, was an Armenian soprano. She grew up in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region of southern Georgia. In 1952, she moved with her family to Yerevan, where she attended a secondary music school. She entered the Yerevan State Musical Conservatory in 1957 and her singing talent soon became clear.

From 1970 to 1983, Zakaryan was a soloist with the symphony orchestra of Armenian TV and Radio. She also sang in the choir of the Armenian Apostolic Church's Holy See at the Echmiadzin Cathedral, and it is for her magnificent rendition of centuries-old Armenian spiritual hymns that she is now most remembered for.

Zakaryan was also known for singing the international opera repertoire as well as Armenian traditional and church music.