Biography
Parsegh Ganatchian (in Armenian Բարսեղ Կանաչեան, pronounced Barsegh Kanachyan in Eastern Armenian) (born in Tekirdağ, Ottoman Empire in 1885 – died in Beirut, Lebanon in 1967) was a Lebanese-Armenian composer and conductor. He most notably arranged the music to "Mer Hayrenik", the Armenian national anthem, as well as to a famous traditional Armenian lullaby "Oror Im Palas" (in Armenian Օրօր Իմ Բալաս). He is founder and director/conductor of "Knar" wind orchestra and the "Gusan" (in Western Armenian "Kousan") choirs in Istanbul and the similarly named "Gusan" choir (1933 -1961) in Beirut. He was awarded with the National Order of the Cedar, a high Lebanese presidential award for promoting friendship between the Armenian and Lebanese peoples.
