For Immediate Release USC INSTITUTE OF ARMENIAN STUDIES University of Southern California Los Angeles, California, USA Contact: Syuzanna Petrosyan, Associate Director Armenian@usc.edu 213.821.3943 Vordan Karmir from Vanadzor, Armenia to Headline Innovate Armenia Vordan Karmir, a vibrant and powerful presence in Armenian music, will be headlining INNOVATE ARMENIA on September 23, 2016, at the USC campus. The band is named after an Armenian cochineal insect — a worm — that produced what became known as “the Armenian color.” A deep, striking shade of crimson red, the Vordan Karmir dye became an alluring and popular commodity among the peoples of the ancient world. A popular music group in Armenia, the band was formed in 2009 by a group of young men in Vanadzor, Armenia’s third largest city. Members Vahan Poghosyan, Davit Grigoryan, Davit Galstyan and Payqar Chakhoyan produce innovative music, addressing issues that range from corruption to social indifference. Vordan Karmir has travelled beyond Armenia to perform in the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Georgia and Russia. Their 2016 South by Southwest (SXSW) performance exposed them to a cutting edge audience of techies and music aficionados. INNOVATE ARMENIA is a day of innovation and discovery filled with thought-provoking, fast-paced talks, interactive experiences in chess-strategy and winemaking, and a full day of music. General festival information: Innovate Armenia takes place Saturday, September 23, 10 am to 6 pm in Alumni Park and Bovard Hall on USC’s University Park Campus. Admission is free. All-day parking is $12 in USC parking structures. Participants are encouraged to park in Lot X at the corner of Figueroa and McCarthy Way, just off the Exposition Blvd exit of the 110 Freeway. # # # About the Institute: Established in 2005, the USC Institute of Armenian Studies supports multidisciplinary scholarship to re-define, explore and study the complex issues that make up the contemporary Armenian experience—from post-genocide to the developing Republic of Armenia to the evolving diaspora. The institute encourages research, publications and public service, and promotes links among the global academic and Armenian communities.