PRESS RELEASE
Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society
104 N. Belmont St., Suite 200
Glendale, CA 91206
Contact: Roger Khadarian
Tel: 213-278-2020
Fax: 818-450-0248
E-mail: usawest@hamazkayin.net
Web:

ARMENIAN ALPHABET CELEBRATES 1600th ANNIVERSARY

S. Peter Cowe, Stephan Astourian, Manoug Seraydarian and Ani
Hovannisian-Kevorkian to Speak, Armenian Folk Group Element and Lark
Chorus to Perform

Los Angeles, CA – In 405 A.D., Mesrop Mashtots, a cleric of the
Armenian royal court, invented the letters of the Armenian alphabet,
allowing for the creation of a vast literary tradition. In
celebration of the 1600th anniversary of the alphabet, the Hamazkayin
Educational and Cultural Society is organizing a free public cultural
event at the Alex Theatre in Glendale on Sunday, October 2, 2005.

S. Peter Cowe, Professor of Armenian Language and Culture at the
University of California, Los Angeles, will be featured as one of the
keynote speakers along with Dr. Stephan Astourian, Director of
Armenian Studies at UC Berkeley. Horizon TV anchor and host of the
weekly program Focal Point, Manoug Seraydarian, is teaming up with TV
producer and director, Ani Hovannisian-Kevorkian, to be the evening’s
co-Masters of Ceremony.

The event will feature musical performances by the Lark chorus and the
eclectic Mediterranean sounds of the 7-person Armenian folk group,
Element. Hamazkayin’s Ani Dance Ensemble will perform traditional
Armenian folk dancing and the evening will include an original
theatrical performance, written and directed by Elly Award winning
director Aram Kouyoumdjian, with original music composed by Sebu
Simonian. There will also be poetry recitations by students from
various Armenian schools throughout California.

For more information on the event please visit or
write to USAwest@hamazkayin.net.

About Hamazkayin:

Hamazkayin is a non-profit organization, presently functioning under
the official name of Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural
Society. The objective of Hamazkayin is to provide a sound education
to the new generation, and to strive towards the preservation of the
ethnic identity and cultural heritage of the Armenian people living
outside of their homeland. Subsequently, Hamazkayin chapters were
founded throughout the Middle East, Europe, the United States, Canada,
South America, Australia, and an office was recently opened in the
Republic of Armenia. Hamazkayin has been successful in establishing
secondary and higher educational institutions which have prepared
scholars, literary figures and community leaders. It has also played
a major role in the field of publishing, and for over seventy years,
including thirty years in the United States, has contributed to the
advancement of culture in general.