News

Internationally-known musician Dn. Haig Utidjian will present an online lecture-recital titled, “The Celestial Melodies of the Armenian Divine Liturgy,” on Friday evening, April 16, over the Zoom video conference platform.

Utidjian will explore the development of the melodies of the Badarak – from early manuscript sources that use the Armenian “khaz” notation to the nineteenth century, when melodies were sung in Venice, India, the Caucasus and Constantinople – culminating in the rich legacy available to us today. Musical illustrations will be used, and very recent research entailing forgotten traditions and hitherto neglected sources will be presented. View a flyer for the recital here.

The recital is part of the Eastern Diocese’s spring “Sacred Music Festival” running Friday evening through Saturday, April 16-17. To download the full festival schedule with a list of presenters, click here.

View a flyer by clicking here, which includes general information on the entire festival. Click the following link to register for the festival.

Dr. Richard Hovannisian will deliver an online lecture on survivor and descendant testimonies of the Armenian Genocide, on Monday, Mar. 22, at 10:30 a.m. PDT (1:30 p.m. EDT), over the Zoom video platform. Click on the link to register for the event. To view a flyer with details, click here.

St. John the Baptist Armenian Church of Greenfield, WI, will hold a celebratory banquet honoring the ordination of Rev. Dn. Albert Hambardzumyan to the priesthood on Saturday, Apr. 10, at 3 p.m., at the Sheraton Milwaukee Brookfield Hotel (375 South Moorland Rd., Brookfield, WI). RSVP for the banquet by Mar. 24; please note that space is limited due to pandemic restrictions. Click the following links for information on ordination events (Friday & Saturday, Apr. 9-10), and to make banquet reservations online and make donations.

The Eastern Diocese’s spring “Sacred Music Festival”—a two-day celebration of Armenian Church music—will run Friday evening through Saturday, April 16-17. Altar servers and choir members from across the Diocese are encouraged to attend the festival, which will be held as an online gathering over the Zoom video conference platform. A lecture-recital by Dn. Haig Utidjian will be the featured event on Friday evening, April 16. (View a flyer for the recital here.)

To download a festival schedule with a list of presenters, click here.

As conceived by the Diocese’s Sacred Music Council, the “Sacred Music Festival” will be based on the theme “Holy Badarak, Our Musical Sacrament,” and will concentrate on the variables of the Divine Liturgy, via instructional workshops with musical experts, educational seminars, and recitals of liturgical music. It is open to choral and instrumental musicians—indeed to all who love Armenian liturgical music, and wish to elevate their understanding and improve their performance.

View a flyer by clicking here, which includes information. Click the following link to register for the festival.

The Cultural Committee of Sts. Sahag & Mesrob Church (Providence, RI) will broadcast another episode of its online series, “Armenian Cultural Hour” on Friday, Mar. 19, at 7:30 p.m. The concert titled “Special for You, From Armenia,” features Hasmik Leyloyan, the Queen of the Kanon. Click the link to watch the livestream on the parish Facebook page (accessible even if you don’t have a personal Facebook account). Click the following link to view a flyer.