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The traditional inter-school dance festival organized by the committee of Knar Dance troupe of Hamazkayin was held Tuesday, March 30, 2010, at 7:00 PM, at the Hagop Der Melkonian Theater. Directors of Armenian schools, teachers, educational bodies, art lovers, parents, and students attended the event.

Vartan Aznavourian welcomed the audience on behalf of the Committee of Knar Dance Troupe of Hamazkayin and said the festival aims at creating a healthy inter-school environment, as well as an opportunity to benefit from each other’s experiences. He said 20 Armenian schools are taking part in the festival and that the constant implementation of this initiative is the best proof that the event serves its end and that the Armenian schools attach great importance to the arts in general, and dance, in particular.   Cont.

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Trilateral Meeting between the Central Committees of Ararat, Hamazkayin, and HMEM

A trilateral meeting took place Tuesday, March 30, 2010 at 6:00 PM at the Offices of the Central Committee of Hamazkayin among the Central Committees of the Armenian Cultural Ararat Association (HMAK,) the Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Association and the Armenian General Union of Sports (HMEM.)   Cont.

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Organized by the Regional Committee of Hamazkayin in Lebanon, the performance event of the Ararat Dance Troupe from Iran’s Ararat Association took place Sunday, March 28, 2010, at 8:00 PM, at the Hovhannes Boghossian Theater. Bishop Kegham Khacherian, the Prelate of the Armenian Diocese in Lebanon, RA Ministry of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan, the Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to Lebanon Ashot Kocharyan, Bourj Hamoud Mayor Antranig Mserlian, artists, art lovers, and members of Hamazkayin attended the event.

Raffi Demirjian, the executive director of the Levon Shant Cultural Center of Hamazkayin delivered the opening speech. He highlighted the fact that similar initiatives grow to be bridges to create stronger ties between various diasporan communities, and that in that sphere, culture is the best means to nurture those relations.    Cont.

On the morning of Saturday, March 27, 2010, RA Minister of Diaspora Hranoush Hakobyan visited the Vahe Setian Publishing House of Hamazkayin. She was accompanied by Ashot Kocharyan, the Armenia’s ambassador to Lebanon, along with staff members from the Armenian Embassy in Lebanon, as well as Kapriel Chemberjian, president of the Pyunik Human Resources Foundation. The Minister was introduced to the publishing house’s activities as well as those of the book distribution unit.

The Minister and her delegation also visited the newly constructed Lucy Tutunjian Exhibition Hall of Hamazkayin. Ms. Hagopian highly praised the publishing house’s activities and actions in literature and other spheres of Armenian culture, and wished its staff success.   Cont.

Organized by the Toros Roslin Plastic Arts School of Hamazkayin, the awards ceremony for the inter-school drawing contest took place Saturday, March 27, 2010, at 6:00 PM, at the K. and H. Armenian Hall of the Levon Shant Cultural Center of Hamazkayin. Educators, parents, and students attended the event.

Janet Hagopian-Yapoujian, manager of the Toros Roslin Plastic Arts School of Hamazkayin, opened the event. She said 168 students from 25 Armenian schools participated in the inter-school drawing contest. The participants created drawings according to the topics given to them. She added that this initiative is a great opportunity to group together students interested in drawing, give them a chance for self-evaluation and to participate in activities that improve their works. Janet Hagopian-Yapoujian said that the Toros Roslin Plastic Arts school carries out its tasks with a specialized follow-up activity, to develop the students’ aesthetic tastes and capacity.   Cont.

True to its principles of preserving Armenian choral art and passing it to future generations, the Zvartnots Choir of Hamazkayin continues its cultural path with a colorful repertoire of Armenian national, spiritual, and classical songs. The choir master is Davit Poghosyan, a lecturer of the Faculty of Musicology of the Yerevan State Conservatory after Gomidas. The choir was accompanied on the piano by Rouzan Barsoumian.

“The voice is not an emotion if it is not the expression of the soul,” Mr. Poghosyan said. Zvartnots members who, due to the painstaking work of their conductor, succeeded in reflecting the true expression of the palpations and the feelings of their soul in their voices. Zvartnots’ first concert was held Sunday, March 21, 2010, at 9:00 PM, at the K. Yesaian auditorium. The event was sponsored by Bishop Shahan Sarkissian, the Prelate of the Armenian Diocese in Syria, and was organized by the Zvartnots Choir Unit of the Regional Committee of Hamazkayin in Syria.   Cont.

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A meeting with Hasmik Harutyunyan, the soloist from Shoghakn Folk Ensemble

The most recent guest of the intellectuals’ club at the Armenia offices of Hamazkayin was Hasmik Harutyunyan, the soloist from the Shoghakn Folk Ensemble.   Cont.

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On the occasion of Beirut being announced as the World Capital for books, an exhibition-sale of children’s books and educational games took place on Monday, March 22, 2010, at 6:30 PM, at the Punik Hall of “Aztag Daily.” The exhibition, sponsored by Salim Wardieyeh, the RL Minister of Culture, was organized by Hamazkayin’s Vahe Setian book publishing branch, and was coorganized by “Aztag Daily” and “Vana Tsain” radio station.

Maral Gharibian-Kalemkerian welcomed the guests to the exhibition and invited Hagop Havatian, the director of the Hamazkayin Publishing House, to deliver the opening speech. The latter said the participation of more than 500 students from various Armenian schools in multilanguage story telling and book reading contests that are being organized alongside the exhibition is a definite indicator for success, and brings additional responsibility upon the organizers. Mr. Havatian thanked all the donors and friends of Hamazkayin, the Haygazian Unievrsity, “Aztag Daily,” Vana Tsain Radio Station, the Compatriotic Union of Marash, as well as Armenian school directors. Mr. Havatian said this exhibition intends to create additional interest in Armenian books and that with its modest means, the event aims to realize that target.   Cont.

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An evening dedicated to the memory of the late Garineh Alexandrian was organized by the Regional Committee of Hamazkayin in Lebanon on Sunday, March 21, 2010, at 7:00 PM, at the Vasbouragan Hall. Bishop Kegham Khacherian, the Prelate of the Armenian Diocese in Lebanon, Antranig Mserlian, the Mayor of Bourj Hamoud, representatives of official bodies, members of Hamazkayin and family were in attendance.

Silva Kurkjian welcomed the audience on behalf of the Regional Committee of Hamazkayin in Lebanon. She said that Mrs. Alexandrian was not an ordinary member of Hamazkayin. She added that for many years, Mrs. Alexandrian had realized the task of creating and modeling Knar Dance Troupe’s Armenian folk dance costumes, as well as those of the Kasbar Ipegian Theater Company, and had taken upon herself the tasks of organizing and developing the Artisan Center of the Armenian Red Cross in Lebanon.   Cont.

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The opening of the collective exhibition of the teachers of Toros Rosline Plastic Arts school of Hamazkayin took place on Thursday, March 18, 2010, at 6:30 PM. The exhibition was organized by the Lucy Tutunjian Exhibition Hall of Hamazkayin and was sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Alain Balian. Among the guests were Bishop Kegham Khacherian, the Prelate of the Armenian Diocese in Lebanon, Antranig Mserlian, the Mayor of Bourj Hamoud, representatives of national institutions, members of Hamazkayin and art lovers.

The teachers participating to the exhibition are: Janet Hagopian-Yapoujian, Mireille Gogigian_Dabaghian, Rita Masoian-Yedalian, Daria Hadeshian, and Garineh Yepremian. Ms. Hagopian-Yapoujian, the executive manager of the Toros Roslin Plastic Arts school of Hamazkayin welcomed the guests and said students follow a definite curriculum to be prepared for their entry in the gigantic world of art. She added that when people decorate their homes with the exhibited paintings, they simultaneously support the activities of Toros Roslin Plastic Arts School. Ms. Hagopian-Yapoujian also thanked Mr. and Mrs. Balian, the exhibition sponsors, who always support the larger Hamazkayin family.   Cont.

There was excitement on the stage: the students, dressed in Armenian folk costumes, were watching the hall behind the curtains, and the audience kept flowing in and packing the hall. A few seconds later, the audience gave a standing ovation to welcome Rev. Father Sipan Kechejian, the deputy prelate in Jezireh. The event organized by the A. Aharonian Chapter of Hamazkayin in Kamishli had begun.

A recitation contest, organized by the A. Aharonian Chapter of Hamazkayin and Garineh Vartanian was accompanied by a literary evening dedicated to the 140th anniversary of the great Armenian poet Hovhannes Toumanian’s birth. Salpi Ghougassian, the secretary of the committee, invited the audience to stand for both the Syrian and Armenian national anthems. Afterward, she invited Vazken Tovmassian, the chairperson of the committee, to present a short biography about Toumanian. This was followed by a recitation from Anna Aramian, a 10th grade student. The poem she recited, “Anlreli zankagadoune,” referred to the birth of two famous Armenians -- Hovhannes Toumanian and Father Gomidas, both in 1869.   Cont.

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The string quartet of the Parsegh Ganachian Music School of Hamazkayin featuring four talented young musicians -- Mher Davoudian (first violin,) Shant Tanielian (second violin,) Vicken Sarkissian (viola,) and Harout Kazanjian (cello) -- performed on Friday, March 12, 2010, at 9:00 PM. The event took place at the State Cultural Hall and had the high sponsorship of Bishop Shahan Srakissian, the Prelate of the Armenian diocese in Aleppo.

The event began with the singing of the Syrian national anthem, after which Arous Shahinian welcomed the audience. She reflected upon the fact that Syria has been a cradle of civilization and culture, a metropolis where the exiled Armenians found shelter and compassion, and were integrated into Syrian society, thus forming amicable cultural ties between the Arab and the Armenian peoples. Mrs. Shahinian emphasized that the event was a true expression of the culture-oriented and dedicated activities of the Parsegh Ganachian Music School of Hamazkayin, which aims to give future generations a high-quality musical education. Finally, she thanked the Cultural Department of Aleppo, representatives of state bodies, and especially the honorable president, General Bashar Asad, who attaches a special importance to music, arts, and artists.   Cont.

“Pakin” literary journal hosted a reading on Wednesday, March 10, 2010, at 7:00 PM, at its editorial offices. The evening was dedicated to the newly published volume, “Armenian column… The bliss of being unpleasant…,” by publicist and intellectual Dr. Yervant Kassouni.

Hagop Balian, “Pakin’s” editor, welcomed the audience. He said the volume is very interesting because it occupies a place between column writing and literature. He stated that the book is a pool of witness accounts, and it contains questions and forgotten pages. He explained that the book may belong to the representatives of those generations who have lived the accounts, but that it may also be interesting to younger generations. “Intellectual honesty and courage requires telling the truth,” Mr. Balian emphasized, adding that otherwise intellectual toil would become merely an ode.    Cont.

It is with great joy that we announce that Mr. and Mrs. Nazo and Baidzar Karakashian donate $50,000 USD to equip the Dr. Adrineh Karakashian Sports and Cultural Hall of M. and H. Arslanian Djemaran with sports equipment.

The hall’s construction began two years ago, thanks to a generous donation of $200,000 USD by Dr. Adrineh Karakashian.   Cont.

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Alla Levonian, a singer much loved by the Armenian community in Lebanon, was invited by the alumni of Palanjian-Arslanian Djemaran to sing for the school’s 80th anniversary. Levonian charmed her audience during a concert that lasted for more than one and a half hours on Thursday, March 4, 2010, at 8:30 PM, at the Hagop Der Melkonian Theater. She performed songs on various elements of life, with emotions typical to the Armenians with her unique vocal aptitude. She also performed her songs with the most gentle dance movements and a typically Armenian presence on the stage.

Patil Yesaian welcomed the audience to the concert. She said the concert was held on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Djemaran and on the 75th anniversary of the Djemaran alumni organization. She highlighted the important role Djemaran has played in the preparation of the diaspora’s human power.   Cont.

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On Monday, March 1, 2010 at 11:00 AM, the newly constructed kitchen of the Norsigian Kindergarten of M. and H. Arslanian Djemaran of Hamazkayin was inaugurated. Donors, Djemaran staff and teachers, parents, and kindergarten and day care students attended the event.

The construction of this modern kitchen was made possible thanks to the donations of Mr. and Mrs. Vrej and Salma Sabounjian, and Mr. and Mrs. Sdepan and Tamar Der Bedrossian.   Cont.

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The Lucy Tutunjian Exhibition Hall of Hamazkayin hosted the opening ceremony of an exhibition of oil canvases and watercolors by painter Norigian on Thursday, February 25, 2010, at 6:30. A large number of Armenian and non-Armenian artists and art lovers attended the event.

Carla Tutunjian opened the show with a speech and featured highlights of Krikor Norigian’s biography. She said that in 1976 Norigian immigrated to Paris because of the Lebanese Civil War and returned to Lebanon only in 2003. Ms. Tutunjian said that the artist had several exhibitions in Lebanon, Canada, France, Germany, and the United States, all of which were well received.   Cont.

SYDNEY: A meeting of Armenian-Australian community leaders endorsed the Galstaun College Board’s three-year (2010-2012) Strategic Plan.

The Plan aims to provide and deliver the best possible environment for the physical, intellectual, social and spiritual development of our community students.   Cont.