By Harout Aghajanian
To commemorate the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide, the Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society of Philadelphia on March 21 presented a classical concert titled, “Renewal and Remembrance.” Three highly accomplished singers, each representing the musical legacy of the diaspora, performed at the event: Maroush Paneyan-Nigon (soprano), Barig Nalbantian (soprano), and Vartan Gabrielian (Bass-baritone), with piano accompaniment by Gary Gress.
The evening began in a buzz of excitement. The event was sold out! Hundreds of people from all five churches, including all members of the clergy and nuns, poured into the hall. Every seat was filled.
Ani Aghajanian, the chairlady of Hamazkayin, gave a brief history of the organization, which was founded in 1928 with the mission of promoting Armenian heritage, literature, language, art, and music.
In the first half of the performance, the trio sang selections from operas by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Jacques Offenbach, Léo Delibes, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Leonard Bernstein. In the second half, they sang a wide selection of pieces from Gomidas. It was very emotional to witness the ultimate manifestation of survival, resiliency, endurance, and justice both presented by and personified in these three generations of Armenian singers. Their beautiful voices, their passionate dedication to their music, and their commitment to sharing their gifts with the community paid a special tribute to the 1.5 million Armenians who perished in 1915.
At the end of the concert, attendees gave the performers a standing ovation, after which each singer sang additional selections.
A table with 100 lit candles provided a final visual dedication to the Centennial commemoration of the Armenian Genocide.
Following the concert, champagne and dessert was served.
Our special thanks are extended to the singers, who spent countless hours preparing and practicing for the performance. It was a very special evening filled with memories we will all cherish. Special thanks also go to our benefactors and sponsors, whose generosity made all of this possible. Finally, we are especially grateful to Nalbantian, who flew from Germany to participate in this concert.
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Where there any audars, present? Was the evening covered by the non-Armenian media? Or was this another example of Armenians telling Armenians how much the Armenians suffered at the hands of the Turks?
Dear Avedis,
There were a few people in the audience who were not of Armenian decent. Most were guests of audience members who are members of the Armenian community. This concert was not about Armenians telling Armenians how much they suffered, but about three performing artists sharing our developed skills, talents and interpretations of works written by European, American and Armenian composers.