PRESS RELEASE
The Cristofori Foundation
Postbox 288
9206 Rogues Road
Casanova, Virginia, 20139-0288, USA
Tel: +1-540-788-3356
Fax: +1-540-788-3358
Contact: crisfund@yahoo.com
Web:

ANNOUNCEMENT — ALAN HOVHANESS MUSEUM PROJECT

Following the success of the 20th anniversary concert of Yerevan’s Alan
Hovhaness Chamber Orchestra (November 2004), there is an ambitious plan
to build an Alan Hovhaness Museum here in Yerevan, Armenia — land of
Hovhaness’s paternal ancestors. The city already has a magnificent
Khachaturian museum. Hovhaness himself bequeathed scores to the State
Museum of Literature and Art of Armenia when he visited us here in 1965.

In 1940 Hovhaness became organist at St. James Armenian Church in
Watertown, Massachusetts, and began to thoroughly assimilate the spirit
of Armenian liturgical music into his own works. Although this is well
known with regard to his 1940s `Armenian period’, this influence never
fully receded throughout the ensuing decades. The people of Yerevan have
identified with this music and, as the recent concert success showed,
revere him almost as one of their own.

This is a call to gather materials to send to Yerevan. The proposed
museum will need photos, letters, concert programmes, posters, newspaper
and magazine articles, CD recordings, LP recordings, concert recordings,
scores, transcriptions of radio programmes, reminiscences — in short,
anything and everything possible having to do with Hovhaness.

We welcome your comments, suggestions and questions.

In Armenia materials will be collected by myself, Alexan Zakyan, the
general manager of the “Alan Hovhaness” Chamber Orchestra and
president of “Manana” Public Beneficial Organization. Contact:

Alexan Zakyan
Co-ordinator, Hovhaness Museum Project
Halabian 11/34
375038
Yerevan,
Armenia

E-mail: mananapbo@netsys.am

Tel/Fax: + 374 1 39 54 67
Mobile: + 374 9 33 36 84

In the USA, materials will be collected by pianist and long-time
Hovhaness champion Martin Berkofsky. Contact:

Hovhaness Museum Project
The Cristofori Foundation
Postbox 288
9206 Rogues Road
Casanova, Virginia, 20139-0288, USA

E-mail: _crisfund@yahoo.com_

Tel: +1-540-788-3356
Fax: +1-540-788-3358

Martin will pass materials to the Armenian Embassy in Washington to be
sent on to Yerevan by secure diplomatic post. As some may be aware,
Martin gave the first Armenian performance of Hovhaness’s ‘Lousadzak’ in
Yerevan in November 2004, as well as the world premiere of Hovhaness’s
Double Piano Concerto in Moscow earlier this year. He has been an
ambassador for Hovhaness for over 30 years, previously working with the
composer on the recordings of ‘Concerto No.10’, ‘Khaldis’ and ‘Saturn’.

In Europe, Marco Shirodkar will collect materials to be sent on to
Yerevan. Donations can be sent to:

Hovhaness Museum Project
Postbox 16134
London
Great Britain
N12 7WB
E-mail: Museum@hovhaness.com

Fax: +44-870-458-1640

Marco administers the Hovhaness website
which is where museum progress reports will
be posted.

Send whatever you (your local bookshop, library, college) might have to
spare — and spread the word to everyone possible about this momentous
project!

Thank you very much.