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Nareg Balian
Nareg S. Balian is a student at St. Albans School in Washington, D.C. He won a fellowship to study in Armenia in the Musical Armenia Program at the Yerevan Conservatory and will be taking two college courses at AUA in the summer of 2017. He will also be as volunteering at Orran, an at-risk center for Armenian children and the elderly. Nareg is a member of the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF). He has performed piano in many Armenian events and venues, including the Armenian Embassy and won competitions at Carnegie and Merkin (Juilliard School) Halls. He is President of the National Opera Teens Advisory Council and co-founded the Capital Opera Teens.
Latest posts by Nareg Balian (see all)
- First Impressions: What’s an Armenian? - July 31, 2017
- I am Nareg - July 13, 2017
- ‘Tsavt Tanem’: Untranslatable and Universal - June 30, 2017
Nicely worded and structured article. Keep up the god work.
Dear Bob, Thank you so much!
I have dealt with that issue all my life. I usually respond by saying it is where Noah’s Ark landed.
That is the best response!
Nareg,
This is a very well-written piece. I had presumed before I read your Bio that you were much older, and were well-settled into a career in which clear writing was required.
We all do what you are doing when we meet odars. Armenians have a burning desire to educate the world as to who and what an Armenian is, and has always been. Part of this comes from the fear of extinction, and part of it comes from wanting European and Christian-origin people to know how we fit into the foundation of the common culture.
I remember trying to educate my fellow second graders about Armenian history and where they should place Great Armenia when they look at a map.
As a student a St. Albans, you have before you a very influential group of audience members, as your fellow students come from among the most influential families in the world. See especially if you can locate and educate the children of Turkish and Azeri lobbyists. Ask them why their parents take money from these clients. Is there any lie The Shed Group, Richard Gebhardt and Robert Livingstone will not assert for money?
I too had a Levon experience. In third grade I was visiting my best friend’s house. My surname and first name are not Armenian. My friend’s mother and grandmother started speaking. They spoke western Armenian, as did my mother and her family. I asked the mother “Took Hye Ek, Mrs. Schmidt?” They were shocked, as was I, to learn that my odar friend was actually my Gess-Hye yeghbayr.
Thank you for your advice about St. Albans. I have given homilies and speeches where I talk about our history and experiences. The story about your “odar” friend is amazing. We are all cultural ambassadors and respect each other’s history and backgrounds.
I wish it was that easy to answer the question among Armenians. For example, I have been told that I am not an Armenian on FB because I am agnostic. Also because I am gay. Others have been called non-Armenian because they do not speak Armenian, or because they do not have Armenian names, or because their last name does not end in “ian” (or “yan”), or because they are among the estimated 2 million “hidden” Muslim Armenians and have not (yet?) converted to Christianity, or because they are Christian but not members of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
If the person with the “unfairly easy to pronounce name” were to read this, he would probably die laughing. Or hold us in utter contempt for inventing beer, wine, and sandals but not being able to get our act together after 4,000 years.
Aram Hamparian of ANCA wrote an incredible article, “We are all Armenians.” I’ve attached the link here. If we respect each other and recognize that our diversity makes us stronger as a nation, we will go far. I think many Armenians recognize this and they are the ones who represent us as a people. You do. I do. And all of us with any attachment to the ancient people of Armenia.
http://armenianweekly.com/2012/01/22/hamparian-were-all-armenians/
Thank you so much for that enlightening yet humorous tidbit of information.
I must admit I did not know what an Armenian was for years until I began to work in the city of Glendale California.
Since then I have grown to learn and appreciate the culture, people, and history.
Through the years I have made many lifelong friends who are Armenian and they, in return, have taken me to Armenia with them and allowed me to climb “their” mountain Mt. Ararat in 2013.
well said Bob!!!!!
I hope to climb Ararat one day too! It is all of ours!
Loved this!!
Thank you so much!!
Great article Narek! I am glad that there are young people like you!
Thank you so much! We have great shoes to fill!
Narek, I too enjoyed this article and commend your writing style. Your music must be glorious! Congratulations too on your efforts to create stronger connections and understanding among Armenians and non-Armenians. Let’s remember–Armenians and non-Armenians alike–that we are human beings first and need to do away with the labels that separate us. I would add that though first impressions can never be replicated, we shouldn’t become a slave to them. Despite Malcom Gladwell’s claims, there have been so many times in my life where I realized that my first impression was rooted in judgment rather than an open heart and an open mind. In other words, my first impression was wrong. By not being attached to my initial perceptions, I came to see–and feel–that the person I’d judged inappropriately was different than I’d originally thought. What a delightful realization to have been so wrong!
Thank you so much for your comments. I agree–sometimes impressions are rooted in quick judgment, which is wrong. As in anything, the more time you spend with a person, the more you realize their complexity.