Across generations, various groups prefer certain types of music over others. Whether trying to relax independently or enjoy a social party, people create their own culture and identity through music. But for the Armenian diaspora who has experienced continual oppression and genocide, the cultural element is magnified. On Feb. 2, the faculty brass quintet from the music department will be performing a selection of Armenian diaspora music entitled “A Story of Tragedy, Resilience, and Renewal.”
“As a brass musician myself, I was familiar with some music by Armenian composers, and I was trying to think of music that I was familiar with personally that came from cultures and peoples whose home country or home people had a unique story,” said Dr. Zach Buie, professor of trumpet in the school of music.
Buie said that recognizing the great tragedy of the Armenian genocide which occurred at the beginning of the 20th century, he felt that celebrating the music of the Armenian culture was particularly relevant for the larger event that the Hemingway Center is holding called “Exile Refuge Home.” The event will revolve around discussion and celebration of narratives about immigration and diaspora.
“When I started looking into the local area, I found that there is actually a thriving Armenian community here in Boise, and they have regular social events, they have a church and they have dinners that they go to together,” Buie said.
After doing research on the music he hoped to perform, Buie reached out to Boise community members with an Armenian background. Two of them, Rachel Emenaker and Jo-Ann Kachigian, will be speaking about Armenian experience and history at the event.
“Putting on an event like this is kind of saying, ‘We’re still here, we’re still dancing, we’re still listening to our music, we’re still speaking our language, we’re still worshipping in our churches,’” Emenaker, who works with the Idaho Museum of International Diaspora, said.
By concentrating specifically on music made by people of Armenian heritage, the event will not only bring light to the tragedies the people have faced but also show that they are a thriving community, according to Emenaker.
“Of all the many many issues to talk about in terms of exile and refugee status and diaspora, the Armenian genocide remains hugely problematic in terms of the silence that surrounds it,” said Dr. Cheryl Hindrichs, director of the Hemingway Literary Center. “So I was very excited to create some sort of programming around that.”
Hindrichs said that after the English department planned the event, they reached out to other departments to try and collaborate, and the music department expressed interest. Hindrichs said having Emenaker and Kachigian speaking at the event will hopefully illuminate the multifaceted and distinctive subcultures within the larger Armenian community.
“There are Armenians from very different places, so the group’s cuisine, the culture, the rituals are different, but there is a very very strong sense of a shared identity,” Hindrichs said. “My hope is that through the storytelling of Jo-Ann looking at differences within but also between cultures with Rachel, and then the storytelling that the music itself does will help us make connections for us that we maybe didn’t have our eyes and ears open to.”
The speaking and musical performance will be held in the Hemingway Center Gallery at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 2.
