For Immediate Release
USC INSTITUTE OF ARMENIAN STUDIES
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California, USA
Contact: Syuzanna Petrosyan, Associate Director
[email protected]
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.
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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.
