Metro Detroit composer Dan Yessian to host fundraising multimedia event
Metro Detroit composer Dan Yessian, in partnership with the Children of Armenia Fund (COAF), will present Armenian Trilogy: Expressions of Love, Hope, and Faith—a live multimedia fundraising event on May 14 at 7 p.m. at the Steinway Piano Gallery in Commerce (2700 E West Maple Rd, Commerce Township, MI 48390). Featuring a blend of film, live music and inspirational speakers centered around Yessian’s classical composition An Armenian Trilogy, the evening will raise funds to support music education for children in Armenia’s rural communities. The program will feature Associate Concertmaster Kimberly Kennedy of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, television personality and media host Chuck Gaidica, vocal performances by Kenny Watson, Justin Noroyan and Nancy Ingles, and an appearance from Pastor Emeritus Father Garabed Kochakian of St. John Armenian Church. The evening promises to entertain, inspire and educate, offering a memorable experience for lovers of music, culture and history. Tickets are available at givebutter.com/armeniantrilogy.
The Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) is a nonprofit transforming the lives of children in rural Armenia through education, healthcare, social services and economic development. Its flagship initiative, the COAF SMART Center in Lori, offers free after-school programs in arts, languages, technology and more—empowering youth with skills to build a brighter future. Proceeds from this fundraiser will support COAF’s music education programs, giving children in rural Armenia the chance to learn, grow and thrive through music.
COAF’s mission resonates deeply with composer Dan Yessian, founder of the international music company Yessian headquartered in Farmington Hills, and whose Armenian heritage and passion for music have inspired his recent philanthropic work. In 2014, encouraged by his church priest, Yessian composed An Armenian Trilogy to mark the centennial of the Armenian Genocide, in which 1.5 million Armenians perished under the Ottoman Empire. Originally written as a violin and piano duet with three movements—The Freedom, The Fear and The Faith—the piece premiered in Michigan in 2015. He later orchestrated it for 91 instruments, culminating in a 2017 performance at the Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall by the Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra. The concert was featured in a documentary chronicling Yessian’s first visit to his ancestral homeland, which will be screened at the May 14 event alongside TED-Ed’s Ugly History and live vocal and instrumental performances.
Yessian spent the majority of his career composing music for national and international advertising campaigns, including work for Fortune 50 companies. In 2016, Yessian was recognized with a Lifetime Achievement at the Detroit Music Awards, and in 2018 he was inducted into the Adcraft Hall of Fame in Detroit. Now, after a decade devoted to his Armenian Trilogy passion project, Yessian is turning his focus towards using his music to uplift causes close to his heart. The May 14 fundraiser is one expression of this new chapter, aimed at supporting music education for low-income children, ages three to six, in his ancestral homeland of Armenia.
“I can’t tell you how much music has done for me. I discovered something that helped me to build my own confidence through expression and entertainment. If it wasn’t for that discovery, I’m not sure what I might have ended up doing,” said Yessian.
Affirming his belief that music education is crucial to developing minds, Yessian explained, “It might be learning to play piano, or the recorder, or keeping rhythm on drums. Learning music means learning a new way to think, to engage your brain, and of course, it is fun. If I can help provide these children in Armenia with a similar opportunity, that will be a meaningful legacy.”
About Dan Yessian
Dan Yessian is a self-taught American composer, arranger, woodwind musician and keyboardist of Armenian ancestry born in Detroit. A 1967 graduate of Wayne State University, he received a teaching degree and taught speech and English at Detroit’s Redford High School for four years. He left education to pursue a music career. In 1971, he founded what would become Yessian Music. With just a desk and phone in a little 300-square-foot former bait shop in Farmington, Michigan, he cold-called car dealers hoping to interest them in purchasing a custom jingle. Yessian’s jingle for the Detroit business Dittrich Furs has aired for over 40 years in the Metro area, finding its way into the culture of Detroit and Michigan. Yessian Music now has 35 employees and over 125 freelance composers with studios in Michigan, New York City, Los Angeles and Europe. For more information, please visit danyessian.com.
About the Children of Armenia Fund
The Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization dedicated to transforming the lives of children in rural Armenia through a holistic approach to education, healthcare, social services and economic development. COAF helps young Armenians expand their universe so that they can shape a brighter future. For more information, visit coaf.org.
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