Armenian musicians perform for Rotary Club of Lakewood Ranch

Dozens of members of the Rotary Club of Lakewood Ranch watched in amazement as the Golden Gates from Armenia performed Sept. 9 at the Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club.

The Golden Gates from Armenia is a group of 15 musicians and dancers between the ages of 14 and 25 with the Reunite Cultures Fund, which was a nonprofit founded by Rotarians in 2003.

"The idea of the organization is to give the opportunity for young people to introduce their country in the United States and discuss more about a relationship with the United States," said Vitaliy Bezronlov, the founder and coordinator of the Reunite Cultures Fund. 

The music the group performed gave Rotary members a look into Armenian history and culture. For example, musician Lilit Petrosyan played a qaran and Alex Danielyan and Emil Abrahamyan performed a dance that is done before going into battle. A qaran is an Armenian stringed instrument.

"I thought they were great," said Mark Golub, the program chair for the Rotary Club of Lakewood Ranch who coordinated the Golden Gates from Armenia's visit. "I'm so glad they were able to come. I hope we can donate to some of their creative work in the future, and I hope we can have them back again."

Some members of the rotary club, such as Carey Leichter, volunteered to host a few performers in their homes.  

Leichter has always enjoyed meting people from other countries and looked forward to getting to know the performers.

"Music is a universal language," Leichter said. "My children are all musical as well, so I thought it was a great way to have the guests be comfortable in our culture and hopefully get a sense of what our family is like."