On December 2, 2024, the Central Bank of Armenia puts into circulation “100th birth anniversary of Gohar Gasparyan” silver collector coin.
Gohar Gasparyan (1924–2007), is renowned Armenian opera singer (lyric coloratura soprano), People’s Artist of the Armenian SSR (1953) and USSR (1956).
Gohar Gasparyan was born in Cairo, received a musical education at the local college, and took singing lessons from E. Feldman and V. Karro. She began performing in Cairo in 1940 and became a soloist on Egyptian radio in 1947.
In 1948, she moved to Armenia, where she became a soloist in the National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater of Armenia beginning in 1949. Her first performance in Yerevan was in the role of Lakmé (opera Lakmé by Léo Delibes’).
Gohar Gasparyan was called “The Nightingale of Armenia”, her voice was endowed with extensive range, flexibility, richness of tones, and ease of transitions. She held over 4000 concerts and performed on well-known stages around the world, including at Carnegie Hall in New York, the Grand Opera in Paris, and the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow.
The repertoire of the opera singer included more than 500 works. She performed primary roles in 23 operas, including Anoush and Shushan (A. Tigranian’s Anoush and Davit Bek), Olympia and Karine (T. Chukhajian’s Arshak II and Leblebici hor-hor agha), Rosina (Gioachino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville), Marguerite (Charles Gounod’s Faust), Lucia (G. Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor), Violetta and Gilda (G. Verdi’s La traviata and Rigoletto), and others.
From 1964 to 2007, she taught at the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan (professor beginning in 1973).
Gohar Gasparyan was honored with a number of state prizes and awards: State Prizes of USSR (1951) and Armenian SSR (1965), Hero of Socialist Labor (1984), Honorary Citizen of Yerevan (1984), Order of Lenin (1984), Order of People’s Friendship (1984), Order of St. Mesrop Mashtots (1994), and others. A street in Yerevan is named after Gohar Gasparyan.
Obverse: the stage image of Gohar Gasparyan against the background of the A. Spendiaryan National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, Armenian ornamentation
Reverse: the portrait of Gohar Gasparyan, the images of roses and the nightingale
Designer: Vardan Vardanyan
The coin is minted at the Mint of Poland.
Technical specification
Face value 1000 dram
Metal/fineness silver 9250
Weight 33,6 g
Diameter 40,0 mm
Quality proof
Edge ribbed
Quantity of issue 300 pcs
Year of issue 2024
Notice
Collector coins are made of precious metals and are issued to present to the society the national, international, historical and cultural, spiritual and other values of the country, to immortalize these values in the metal and to meet the demands of the numismatic market.
Like any other currency the collector coins have face value which makes them the means of payment. However, the face value of these coins is much lower that their cost price which includes the cost of the precious metal used for manufacturing of the coin, mintage and other expenses. Low face value and high cost price allow these coins to be considered as the items of collection and not the means of payment used in money circulation. The collector coins have also the sale price set by the Central Bank of Armenia.
As the items of collection the collector coins are issued in very restricted quantities and are not reissued.
Numismatists, collectors and all interested persons can buy the Armenian collector coins in the sales salon “Numismatist” which is in the building of the Central Bank of Armenia and is open for everyone.
