REMEMBERING THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE: AN ENCOUNTER THROUGH MUSIC
College of the Holy Cross
ases/2008-2009/09_03_27a
March 27 2009
Holy Cross to Host Memorial and Charitable Concert for Fund for
Armenian Relief
WORCESTER, Mass. – The newly founded Armenian Students’ Association
(ASA) at the College of the Holy Cross will host a memorial and
charitable concert, titled "Pour Toi, Arménie (For You, Armenia),"
on Sunday, April 19 at 4 p.m. in Seelos Theater. In observance of
the international Armenian Martyrs’ Day held annually on April 24,
the concert will offer a novel way of remembering the victims
of the 1915 Armenian Genocide, namely through Armenian musical
tradition. Headlining the event is John Berberian, one of the finest
oud (lute) virtuosos in North America. Tickets are $10 for Holy Cross
students and children under 12, and $15 for the general public. All
ticket sale proceeds will be donated to Fund for Armenian Relief
(FAR) in an effort to help the region of Gumri, Armenia which remains
impoverished in the wake of a devastating earthquake in 1988. CDs
will also be available at the concert, and a portion of the proceeds
from the sales will be donated to FAR.
The concert will also feature performances by notable musicians Mal
Barsamian, Harry Bedrosian, and Bruce Gigarjian, all members of the
Berberian Ensemble. In addition, Fr. Untzag Nalbandian & Ani Nalbandian
’09, president of the Armenian Students’ Association, and other Holy
Cross student musicians, will be performing.
"Each year that I have been at Holy Cross, I have sought to bring
awareness and recognition of the 1915 Armenian Genocide to this
campus," explains Ani Nalbandian, founder of the ASA and concert
organizer. "Although we are approaching its centennial, the Genocide
continues to not only constitute a very significant part of the
Armenian identity today, but also of humanity as a whole. It is my
intention to unite the local Armenians and our college community in an
unprecedented show of solidarity for this all-too-often neglected and
‘forgotten genocide.’"
Berberian has performed throughout the U.S., Canada, and South
America. He has released a series of successful Armenian and Middle
Eastern recordings with companies including MGM and Mainstream
Records. Berberian has also recorded three LPs under his own label,
Olympia Records.
Fr. Untzag Nalbandian is a well-known and respected clergyman of the
Eastern Armenian Diocese of America. He is also a talented musician,
having released 3 CD’s featuring traditional and contemporary Armenian
songs. His most recent CD was a joint compilation with his daughter,
Ani Nalbandian ’09.
Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR) provides short-term emergency relief
and implements long-term programs for the economic growth and social
development of Armenia. It helps the most vulnerable segments of the
population — children and the elderly — and prepares the youth and
professionals to drive the country’s new democratic state.