California Courier Online, September 2, 2004
1 – Commentary
Armenians Win Olympic Medals,
But Not for Their Own Country
By Harut Sassounian
California Courier Publisher
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2 – Turpanjian Family Establishes
$1 Million Scholarship at AUA
3 – Canadian Soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian
Receives “Mesrob Mashdots” Medal
4 – Pianist Sergei Babayan to
Perform Sept. 24 at CSUF
5 – APN-WD Host Health,
Wellness Talk on Sept. 23
6 – Aspen Armenians
Help Renovate
School in Armenia
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1 – Commentary
Armenians Win Olympic Medals,
But Not for Their Own Country
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
Armenians around the world have been anxiously watching the Olympic Games
on TV during the past two weeks, hoping to see the country’s flag raised
and its national anthem played at the end of one or more sporting events in
which 18 athletes from Armenia were participating.
Several Armenians did end up winning gold, silver or bronze medals, but
regrettably, not one of them represented Armenia. The ones who won medals
at these games had left Armenia in recent years and were competing for
Russia, Bulgaria, Sweden or Kazakhstan.
Regardless of which passport these athletes held and which flag they
competed under, Armenians still cheered for them proudly and loudly. Their
joy, however, was mixed with disappointment at the failure of athletes
representing Armenia to win a single medal. Such poor results cannot be
simply explained away by the usual excuse that Armenia does not have the
necessary resources to train world-class athletes. Armenia was not any
richer in the past 8 years, and yet it won one gold and one silver medal in
1996, and one bronze in the 2000 Olympics. Armenia’s neighbors are
economically no better off and yet, Georgia managed to win two gold and two
silver medals, and Azerbaijan won one gold and four bronze medals.
After the embarrassing results of the 2004 Olympics, the Armenian
government should completely overhaul its Olympic Committee and put more
competent people in charge. If Armenia lacks the necessary resources to
prepare top-notch athletes, it should seek assistance from the Diaspora.
While Armenia has more urgent needs at the moment than sports, there are
individuals and organizations in the Diaspora that specifically support
athletes and athletic activities. Their contributions, therefore, would not
be diverted away from Armenia’s more critical needs. Furthermore, victories
by Armenian athletes in international competitions would boost the morale
of a destitute population that is yearning for positive news.
Of course, the fastest and the most efficient way of developing top-notch
athletes is to provide incentives for those who have left, to return to
Armenia. They should be given adequate housing, training facilities and
financial support.
With relatively modest sums of money and a dedicated effort, a few Armenian
athletes, by their outstanding performances, could put Armenia on the map
of the world. There is no better way to showcase Armenia than by having the
country’s flag raised and its national anthem played under the watchful
eyes of several billion people! Armenians have less than four years to get
ready for the next Olympics in China.
Kerry Pledges to Fight Denial of Armenian Genocide
Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry issued a statement on the
Armenian Genocide last week that goes far beyond what most other candidates
have promised in the past. In addition to pledging to recognize the
Armenian Genocide, Sen. Kerry stated that he would fight against its
denial.
Most Armenians, after terribly disappointing past experiences, have become
very skeptical about promises made by previous presidential candidates.
However, given Sen. Kerry’s long-standing acquaintance with the Armenian
community in Massachusetts, his support for the recognition of the Armenian
Genocide in the U.S. Senate for the past 20 years, and his unequivocal
statements on this subject, Armenians should be assured that Sen. Kerry is
more worthy of our trust than past presidential candidates. For those who
still remain skeptical, what alternative do they have? Pres. Bush has
repeatedly proven that he cannot be trusted given his broken promises to
recognize the Armenian Genocide.
Here are excerpts from Sen. Kerry’s latest statement issued over the
weekend on the occasion of an Armenian fund-raising festival that was
organized by the ANC in the Boston area:
“I have been honored to represent tens of thousands of Armenian Americans
as a Massachusetts Senator. And I look forward to representing hundreds of
thousands of Armenian Americans as the next President of the United States.
“It has been my privilege, over the past two decades, to work with the
Armenian community on important issues including U.S. recognition of the
Armenian Genocide, strengthening U.S.-Armenia relations and trade, lifting
the devastating blockades of Armenia and working for a fair and lasting
peace in Nagorno Karabagh….
“I want to assure you that, as President, I will continue to fight against
the denial of the Armenian Genocide. My administration will recognize April
24, 2005 as the 90th Anniversary of this atrocity and will work to ensure
that the lessons of this crime against humanity are used to prevent future
genocides. There can be no compromise on the clear moral imperative to end
genocide.”
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2 – Turpanjian Family Establishes
$1 Million Scholarship at AUA
OAKLAND, CA – The Turpanjian Family Foundation pledged $1 million over 10
years to the American University of Armenia (AUA) in April 2004 to
implement an innovative Big Brother-Big Sister orphan mentorship program,
and to provide educational scholarships to support qualified undergraduate
and graduate Armenian students who are at an economic and social
disadvantage.
On Aug. 13, AUA received its first installment of $100,000 from the
Turpanjian Family Foundation and AUA has begun program implementation.
One of the key components of the Turpanjian Family Foundation Scholarship
Program is to empower its graduates to make long-term contributions to
Armenia’s political, social and economic development. To this end,
scholarships will be awarded to eligible undergraduate and graduate
students in Armenia’s universities, including the AUA, whose major areas of
study are determined to be of critical need and strategic importance for
the development of Armenia. AUA has already sent out public announcements
in
Armenia’s media to recruit eligible students.
Additionally, for the first time in Armenia, AUA will introduce a ‘Big
Brother-Big Sister’ mentorship program for orphans. AUA alumni and
students will be matched with orphans, as ‘big brothers’ or ‘big sisters’,
to establish one-on-one lifelong friendships and mentoring relationships
and to help with their social and intellectual development. This
mutually beneficial connection will not only assist the orphan with
lifelong guidance and counseling, but also instill within AUA alumni and
students the values of helping others less fortunate and the benefits of
participating in community service.
“Supporting a scholarship program in Armenia is a wonderful way to support
the local state institutions of higher education and individual students
who have the potential to attend AUA and make valuable contributions to
Armenian society,” stated AUA President Haroutune Armenian. “The Big
Brother/Big Sister component of this program will also help those who are
at a socio-economic disadvantage to overcome their circumstances and
believe in their potential leadership and entrepreneurial roles in
Armenia’s economy.”
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3 – Canadian Soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian
Receives “Mesrob Mashdots” Medal
TORONTO, Canada – Catholicos Aram I, of the Holy Sea of Cilicia, acting
upon the request of Archbishop Khajag Hagopian, Prelate of the Armenian
Prelacy of Canada, bestowed the prestigious “Sourp Mesrob Mashdots” medal
to Canadian Armenian soprano, Isabel Bayrakdarian.
The official awarding ceremony of the “Sourp Mesrob Mashdots” medal took
place on Aug. 15, during the celebrations of Assumption of the Holy Mother
of God at the St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church, Toronto by Archbishop
Hagopian.
Born in Beirut, Bayrakdarian began singing Armenian liturgical music in the
church choir at the age of three, and continues to do so today. Her debut
album, “Joyous Light,” was a collection of medieval Armenian sacred music
dating from the 5th century. It reached no.1 in the classical charts across
Canada within days of its release.
Bayrakdarian has received numerous awards throughout her career, most
recently taking home a Juno for her second album, Azulão. She can also be
heard on the Grammy award-winning soundtrack, Lord of the Rings, The Two
Towers, as well as Atom Egoyan’s Ararat.
Bayrakdarian’s upcoming engagements include Suzanna in a new production of
Le nozze di Figaro with Los Angeles Opera, a debut with the San Francisco
Symphony (Mahler’s 2nd Symphony) and a recording project this summer.
During the 2004/2005 she returns to the Metropolitan Opera, to the Lyric
Opera of Chicago twice, and she will make her debut with the Pittsburgh
Opera. She will perform in concerts and recitals in Montreal, Washington,
DC, Toronto, Victoria, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Yerevan, among other
cities.
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4 – Pianist Sergei Babayan to
Perform Sept. 24 at CSUF
FRESNO – Award winning pianist Sergei Babayan will perform in the opening
recital of the Philip Lorenz Memorial Keyboard Concert Series at Fresno
State. The concert will be held at 8 p.m., on Sept. 24 in the Concert Hall
on the Fresno State campus.
The concert is co-sponsored by the Armenian Studies Program of Fresno
State. Babayan will be performing works by Leighton, J.S. Bach, and Liszt.
One of the most charismatic personalities on today’s concert stage,
Babayan’s vibrantly expressive performances have spirited audience acclaim
worldwide. Ever since his arrival in the United States, on his first trip
outside of the Soviet Union in 1989, his breathtaking virtuosity and a
wide- ranging tonal palette have brought him critical praise and accolades.
He is the winner of four first prizes in international piano competitions
including the 1989 Robert Casadesus Competition in Cleveland (marking the
first time a Soviet artist had competed without government sponsorship),
the Palm Beach Competition (1990), the Hamamatsu Competition in Japan
(1991), and the Scottish Competition (1992).
Babayan was born in Armenia to a musical family and started to play the
piano at the age of three. He began his musical studies at the age of six
under Luisa Markaryan and later with George Saradjev. He continued his
studies at nineteen with Mikhail Pletnev at the Moscow Conservatory and
completed post-graduate work there in 1989 as a student of Professor Vera
Gornostaeva. He also studied privately with Lev Naumov in Moscow.
After making his New York recital debut in 1990 at Alice Tully Hall to
great critical acclaim, Babayan embarked on a busy schedule that has
included solo appearances with The Cleveland Orchestra, the Calgary
Philharmonic Orchestra, the Osaka Symphony, the National Orchestra of
Belgium, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Warsaw Philharmonic, the
Slovenska Filharmonia of Bratislava, the Brno Philharmonic, the Bergamo
Symphony of Italy, the Florida Orchestra, West Virginia Symphony, New World
Symphony, and Orchestre National de Lille.
Ticket reservations for the concert may be made by calling 278-2337.
Relaxed parking will be available in Lots C and V after 7:00 PM the night
of the lecture. For more information on the concert, contact the Armenian
Studies Program at 278-2669.
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5- APN-WD Host Health,
Wellness Talk on Sept. 23
BURBANK, CA – The Armenian Professionals Network of Western Diocese will
host an evening program about health and wellness with three well-known
Armenian physicians on Sept. 23, 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., at the Western
Diocesan complex, 3325 North Glenoaks Blvd., in Burbank.
Speakers will be Harout Mesrobian, M.D., Zaven Arslanian, M.D. and Rafi
Balian, M.D.
The topics are Heart Attack, Preventive Medicine and Management of
Arthritis Pain.
For more information, contact Dr. Harout Yagsezian at 323-783-1773 or Vahe
Ashjian at 818-212-9976.
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6 – Aspen Armenians
Help Renovate
School in Armenia
ASPEN, CO – The Armenians of Aspen, CO (all 20 of them) recently met at the
home of June and Hovik Abramian for their annual dinner and get together.
This years gathering was also a fund raiser for the Armenian School
Foundation.
Enough pledges were made to renovate one existing classroom in Armenia,
many of which are pitifully neglected and dilapidated. The cost for one
classroom is $2,000.
When completed a dedication plaque will be installed saying that it is
donated by the Armenians of Aspen.
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