To Armenians in the U.S., “Armenian Cultural Month” has been a feature of community life for as long as they can remember. It arrives each October—with a flurry of lectures, readings, exhibits, sacred celebrations, and events intended to remind Armenians of their rich cultural heritage.
A three-day celebration of Armenian Church music brought clergy, deacons, choir singers, instrumentalists, and lovers of liturgical music to the St. James of Nisibis Church in Evanston, IL, over the weekend of October 4-6.
The Armenian Church calendar lists the following saints under the title “Holy Translators”: Sahag the Parthian, Mesrob Mashdots, Yeghishé, Movses the Grammarian, David the Invincible, Gregory of Nareg, and Nersess of Hromgla.
In the Armenian musical heritage, one voice rings out above all others: the immortal voice of Gomidas Vartabed. This week marks the 150th anniversary of his birth.
Next weekend, the St. James Church in Evanston, IL, will be the site for the Eastern Diocese’s “Sacred Music Festival”—a gathering of choir singers, directors, instrumentalists, and lovers of Armenian sacred music from throughout the Diocese.
