Serj Tankian on choosing a career in music: "When I started doing music, it wasn't a choice for me. By the time I was fifteen, by the time I was twenty, I already knew that it was my vision and my path. If you don't feel the same way, don't take that path, don't go down that road."
Serj Tankian on the SOAD concert: "This concert was a very unique experience for me. Very electric, that's the word that comes to my mind. We didn't expect people to know the words and sing along in English! I have performed in Armenia before, but never with System of a Down. So it was a completely new experience for me and the members of the band, and we were very happy with it."
When answering a question from the audience, here's the piece of advice Tigran Mansourian gave to all young Armenian musicians today: "Stay true to the family tradition. Our songs, our love, our language are important, because our family is our fortress".
Armenian composer Tigran Mansourian: "After a hundred years, we are finally embarking on a new journey. One hundred years and one day later, today is the first day of the future."
Serj Tankian, lead singer of System of a Down: "When it comes to creative process, the musicians, the composers are often lost in their pieces. It comes from the collective consciousness. I often don't even know what I'm doing".
Composer Tigran Mansourian: "Our heritage is our wealth". Leading artists and composers have gathered today at the Musical Town hall meeting in the Tumo Center in Yerevan to discuss new approaches to Armenian music following the Centennial.
Serj Tankian on how the international audience reacts to Armenian elements in his music: "Seeing art or listening to music is often compared it eating. Specifically, to eating pizza. Some like the crust, some prefer cheese, many appreciate the meat - but it's still the same pizza. The way we perceive art or music is defined by our own experience."