Shahnour Vaghenag Aznavourian (Armenian: Շահնուր Վաղինակ Ազնավուրեան), better known by his stage name Charles Aznavour (French pronunciation: ​[ʃaʁ.l az.na'vuʁ]; born 22 May 1924) OC OQ is a French and Armenian 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. Aznavour is known for his unique tenor voice: clear and ringing in its upper reaches, with gravelly and profound low notes. He has appeared in more than sixty movies, composed about a thousand songs (including at least 150 in English, 100 in Italian, 70 in Spanish, and 50 in German), and sold well over 100 million records.

In 1998, Aznavour was named Entertainer of the Century by CNN and users of Time Online from around the globe. He was recognized as the century's outstanding performer, with nearly 18% of the total vote, edging out Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan. He has sung for presidents, popes and royalty, as well as at humanitarian events, and is the founder of the charitable organization Aznavour for Armenia along with his long-time friend impresario Levon Sayan.

In 2009, he was appointed ambassador of Armenia to Switzerland, as well as Armenia's permanent delegate to the United Nations at Geneva. He started his new Aznavour en Toute Intimité tour in 2011...

For more info and complete Article see Full Story.

Wilhelm Richard Wagner (22 May 1813 – 13 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is primarily known for his operas (or, as some of his later works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most opera composers, Wagner wrote both the libretto and the music for each of his stage works. Initially establishing his reputation as a composer of works in the romantic vein of Weber and Meyerbeer, Wagner revolutionised opera through his concept of the Gesamtkunstwerk ("total work of art"), by which he sought to synthesise the poetic, visual, musical and dramatic arts, with music subsidiary to drama, and which was announced in a series of essays between 1849 and 1852. Wagner realised these ideas most fully in the first half of the four-opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung).

His compositions, particularly those of his later period, are notable for their complex textures, rich harmonies and orchestration, and the elaborate use of leitmotifs—musical phrases associated with individual characters, places, ideas or plot elements. His advances in musical language, such as extreme chromaticism and quickly shifting tonal centres, greatly influenced the development of classical music. His Tristan und Isolde is sometimes described as marking the start of modern music.

Wagner had his own opera house built, the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, which embodied many novel design features. It was here that the Ring and Parsifal received their premieres and where his most important stage works continue to be performed in an annual festival run by his descendants. His thoughts on the relative contributions of music and drama in opera were to change again, and he reintroduced some traditional forms into his last few stage works, including Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (The Mastersingers of Nuremberg).

Until his final years, Wagner's life was characterised by political exile, turbulent love affairs, poverty and repeated flight from his creditors. His controversial writings on music, drama and politics have attracted extensive comment in recent decades, especially where they express antisemitic sentiments. The effect of his ideas can be traced in many of the arts throughout the 20th century; their influence spread beyond composition into conducting, philosophy, literature, the visual arts and theatre...

For more info and complete Article see Full Story.

Cher ( born Cherilyn Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer and actress with a career spanning five decades. Recognized for having brought the sense of female autonomy and self-actualization into the entertainment industry, she is known for her distinctive contralto singing voice and for having worked in various areas of entertainment, as well as for continuously reinventing both her music and image which has led to her being called the Goddess of Pop.

Cher became prominent in 1965 as one-half of the folk rock husband–wife duo Sonny & Cher, who popularized a particular smooth sound that successfully competed with the dominant British Invasion and Motown sounds of the era. From 1965, she had established herself as a successful solo artist with million-selling singles such as "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)", "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves", "Half-Breed", and "Dark Lady", songs that deal with subjects rarely addressed in American popular music. Goldmine magazine's Phill Marder described her as the leader of an effort in the 1960s to "advance feminine rebellion in the rock world [and] the prototype of the female rock star, setting the standard for appearance [and] attitude".
After the duo's drug-free lifestyle had lost its popular appeal in the United States owing to the drug culture of the 1960s, she returned to stardom in the 1970s as a television personality with her shows The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour and Cher, both of which attained immense popularity. She became a fashion trendsetter with her daring outfits. After Cher and Sonny divorced in 1975, Cher experimented with various musical styles, including disco and New Wave, before becoming a top-earning live act in Las Vegas...

For more info and complete Article see Full Story.

SYLVAIN GOURLAY is a French pianist and composer...
SYLVAIN GOURLAY - born May 15th 1985 in Blois, France, originally from Brittany, is a pianist and composer. He started playing the piano aged 7 and started being awarded conservatory prizes only several years later. He then focused his interest on contemporary music (pop music, electro music, jazz and rock music) that brought up a new inspiration for his writing. Meeting and improvising with fellow composers such as Levinas, Mulsant, Jolas, Pécou, Markeas or Hersant, he wrote numerous pieces for solo piano. They were all greatly inspired by Satie, Debussy, Chopin, Rachmaninov but also from innovative styles (Glass, Jarrett, Gonzales and Tellier). At the beginning of 2010, he wrote his first album called Momentaneus, ephemeral musical moments.... In the meantime, he worked hand in hand with several choreographers and so wrote for dancers. (Tango's Project Quartet, 14²). Those pieces of art are obviously linked to the image and the picture and it wasn't surprising to learn Sylvain wanted to write music for the cinema. Thus, he wrote his album keeping this goal in mind. He recently wrote the soundtrack of the AXA documentary "A journey into longevity". His first album, entitled Momentaneus and supported by Paris Jeunes Talents for Dolala Records is distributed by MVS Anticraft and edited by XIII Bis Records/Warner...

For more info and complete Article see Full Story.

Patrick Basile’s music is captivating. From the very first note you know you’ve been hooked! And to experience the alluring voice of Patrick Basile is nothing less than a rich, rare, and wonderful treat! Reminiscent of the great singers past, yet uniquely fresh in his performance and style, the charismatic sound of Patrick Basile is turning ears of music lovers everywhere.
Having showcased his talent in a variety of venues all across the country, Patrick has also been a featured singer/performer in the main stage-show at the world-famous Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. In addition, he has appeared as a “special-guest” soloist on numerous primetime network television specials, variety shows, and evening talk programs.
Musically speaking, not only is Patrick a supremely gifted vocal talent but he is also an accomplished composer, orchestrator, arranger and pianist. It is his lush compositions that set the mood to almost every song he sings. This and having studied voice under two of the industry’s most renowned vocal coaches, Pasquale Caputo (New York) and Seth Riggs (Los Angeles),combine to create the evocative “Basile” signature sound that one reviewer has claimed “transcends time”. One thing is certain. No matter what the venue, setting or call, audiences
love Patrick Basile...

For more info and complete Article see Full Story.