The Saga Of Opera Tenor Vahan Mirakian

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by Rick London

I first met Vahan Mirakian at his beautiful Pacific Ocean villa outside Tijuana, Mexico in a small town called “San Antonio”. He was sitting on the balcony eating Armenian jerky, a delightful treat I had yet to try but now eat often, and had a sad look on his face. I had been introduced to him by a mutual friend, his immigration attorney.

As I sat and listened Vahan, his then girlfriend, (now wife), Marika A. and my friend, his attorney speak in Russian and Armenian, I waited after each series of conversations before each was carefully interpreted to me.

Vahan had, a year ago, been arrested at LAX at age 70, handcuffed, dragged through the airport, made to sign papers he did not understand, detained, and then deported, and not allowed to return on a technical violation.

I can only imagine after 9-11, that most immigration officers at airports in their zeal to keep us safe, tended to be more aggressive if a violation was found, than not. But Vahan was hardly a threat to anyone. This man was a world famous opera tenor, in fact one of the top five anywhere, and a former resident at the Bolshoi, not to mention having been scheduled to play Carnegie Hall.

Though he did not understand my English (even a lot of Americans don’t as I was raised in Mississippi, and I did not understand his Armenian, we understood each other and developed a great affection. Whatever words we did not understand were quickly interpreted by our mutual friends.

Several months later, I returned to Los Angeles to visit our mutual attorney friend, and we drove again to Mexico to visit Vahan Mirakian. He was more sad than I had seen him before (if this was possible) , and his complicated case was not looking good. His fiance Marika, a television producer and talk show host at Armenian TV in Glendale, had to commute every weekend she could to be with Vahan. The strain was beginning to wear on the relationship.

This time it was my 53rd birthday, and we went to a small restaurant called La Fonda’s, really more or less a dive with an American pop band and very good Mexican food. At the break, I mentioned to the manager that one of the world’s top opera stars was at our table and asked if he could sing accompanied by the band. “Of course,” said the manager. I had not even asked Vahan yet but he gladly agreed. He had not sung at any venue in over a year and music was and is his life. The minute Vahan opened his mouth to sing, there was a huge smile on his face. The energy could be felt all over the room. It was magic.

As it turned out, most the band decided to sit this one out, but their one brave saxophone player was keen on doing a duo. When they started O Solo Mia, you could hear a pin drop in this packed establishment. It was surreal, like something out of a Salvador Dali painting. Nobody could believe their ears and kept yelling for an encore when it was over.

He dedicated the song to his loving friend, Rick London (me), and I was floored. There I sat in this little Mexican cafe, with friends from around the world, and a world famous opera singer had dedicated one of my favorite songs to me for my birthday, and with a voice like no other.

Today, nearly another year later, I received an email from our mutual attorney friend that his case cleared. He is a free citizen again in the U.S. and living in Los Angeles. He plans a nationwide and possibly a world tour at age 71. His voice is as clear as ever and I can hear the well-known masters every time he opens his mouth.

The Vahan Mirakian Foundation helps disadvantaged Armenian youth find their voice in music. It does wonders for those who would never have a chance otherwise. I salute this man for hanging in there and putting up a fight for his justice. I salute the American system for allowing him another chance to make it in this great country.

Good for America. We really are the land of the free and the home of the brave. And Vahan will have his chance now to make a wonderful contribution through both his singing and his foundation. I encourage everyone to consider giving any amount to the Vahan Mirakian Foundation.

About the Author:

Any angel of the arts should consider giving to the Vahan Mirakian Foundation to help underpriviliged youth find their voice through opera at Nonprofit Opera Foundation, and A Tax-Deductable Donation