Vagharshak Sahakian

Vagharshak Sahakian was  born in 1906 in the Payajuk village of Salmast. This village was known  for its jewelers and merchants, but it is also remembered as the  birthplace of the Armenian writer Raffi. After graduating from the  parish school of the village, Vagharshak’s father sent him to Tbilisi  where he studied at the municipal school. ​When  Vagharshak was 13 years old, Hovhannes Tumanyan listened to him,  admired his voice and praised him, saying that one day everyone would  hear that young boy’s voice. However, life and his family status  compelled Vagharshak not to dedicate himself to Armenian song, but to  leave for Amasia and work as head of the financial department. Then, he  met kind people who helped him reach the song radio in Leninakan-Gyumri,  and in 1934, they helped him move to Yerevan where he dedicated his  life to professional singing.