People’s Artist of the Republic of Armenia, stage director Yervand Ghazanchyan has passed away.

Yervand Ghazanchyan was born on June 2, 1937 in Yerevan.

He was the husband of actress Galya Novents. He studied at Yerevan State Institute of Art and Theater, worked at Yerevan Theater of Young Spectators, Shirvanzade State Theater of Kapan, the National Academic Theater after Sundukyan, the Drama Theater of Leninakan, Yerevan State Drama Theater after Hrachya Ghaplanyan and served as the artistic director of Hakob Paronyan State Musical Comedy Theater of Yerevan since 1993.

He has also staged several works of Armenian and foreign classics. Since 1974, he taught at Yerevan State Institute of Theater and Cinema. Between 1995 and 2007, he was the President of the Union of Theater Figures of Armenia. In 1986, he was awarded the State Award of the Republic of Armenia, in 2005 — the title of “Honorary Citizen of Yerevan”, in 2008 — the Saint Sahak-Saint Mesrop Order of the Armenian Church. In 1974, he received the title of Merited Art Figure of Armenia, in 2004 — the title of People’s Artist, in 2015 — the Presidential Award (for “Karine” operette of Chukhatchyan), and in 2017 — the 1st degree medal “For services to the Homeland”.