Armenian church in Deir ez-Zor among 19 greatest monuments lost in conflict

March 8, 2015 By administrator

Armenian church in Deir ez-Zor among 19

The Armenian church in Deir ez-Zor that was destroyed by the Islamic state has been included in CNN-formed list of 19 greatest monuments lost in conflict.

The Armenian complex that includes a church and a museum was a memorial site to 1.5 million killed between 1915 and 1923. Deir ez-Zor became a destination for pilgrims from around the world, the article says.

The list also includes the ancient city of Palmyra, Nimrud in Iraq, Citadel of Aleppo, Great Mosque of Samarra, the Great Mosque of Aleppo and other sites.

The Armenian Church in Deir Zor was built in 1989-1990, and consecrated a year later. A genocide memorial and a museum housing remains of the victims of the genocide was subsequently constructed in the church compound.

A Jazz Pianist Taps #Armenian Folk, Metal Riffs And A Sense Of History

March 8, 2015 By administrator

jazz artist Tigran Hamaysan.
Maeve Stam/Courtesy of the artist

Musicians arrive at their signature sounds through all sorts of influences. For jazz pianist Tigran Hamaysan, that collection of sounds comes from far afield — he’s a fan of progressive metal bands like Tool and Meshuggah — as well as from his backyard.

Hamasyan was born in Armenia, moved to Los Angeles and New York, then returned to his homeland as an adult to get more in touch with his roots. His new album Mockroot is inspired partly by the work of Bedros Tourian, a 19th-century Armenian poet who died at 21. Hamaysan says he didn’t need to use Tourian’s words — indeed, the songs based on the poet’s work are sung in invented syllables from no certain language — to capture his essence.

“Everybody considered him super-melancholy, super-dark, but I don’t agree with that. He has poems that are on the darker side, but all of his poems have light in them; you end up being enlightened and full of life after reading him,” Hamaysan says. “I like finding inspiration through poems, but not necessarily using them as lyrics to songs. Sometimes the music that I write doesn’t need to have lyrics, it just needs vowels.”

Tigran Hamaysan spoke with NPR’s Arun Rath about exploring the diverse dark history of his small country, and why he thinks traditional approaches to piano ignore much of what the instrument is capable of. Hear their conversation at the audio link.

Eurovision Genealogy project Armenia: “Don’t Deny” presented March 12

March 6, 2015 By administrator

Yerevan, Armenia –

The logo of the Genealogy project. Photo: Armenian Public Television Company

In the past days we have introduced five out of six members of the Armenian band Genealogy. Now, in less than one week, it’s finally time to get to know the video clip of their song Don’t Deny: We will present it here on Eurovision.tv on March 12 at 18:30 CET. Meanwhile, find out more about the concept behind the band in this special feature!

Gohar Gasparyan, Head of the Armenian Delegation (pictured below), today answers several questions about the band Genealogy, who will represent Armenia in the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest, and she explains the concept and choice of singers:
The brilliant official slogan for the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 Building Bridges inspired us to create Genealogy. Two basic characteristics connect our six artists – the first one is the blood running through their veins that carries Armenian genetics, national traits and the reach history of Armenia. The second one is music, which also unites genetically. We have built a bridge between the past and the future, Armenian genetics and world music, Armenia and Eurovision. This is the genealogy of history and music – it can be distinctly defined from the official logo that the life tree has strong roots and branches reaching out to heights with the shape of connecting molecules. AMPTV’s designer Luiza Petrosyan was the creator of Genealogy’s logo.

Participants

Gohar Gasparyan further comments on the artist selection:

While implementing the idea and selecting participants, the necessity to define the geography was extremely challenging because we, Armenians, have numerous talented artists spread all over the world. So we started looking for talented, young and charming artists and the initial list included over 30 names. However, according to the rules of the Eurovision Song Contest; only six people are allowed to perform on the stage. Armenian Public TV Company made the tough decision considering singer’s ability to perform live on stage, diversity and peculiarities of vocal capacity and style.

From the continent of Europe Essai Altounian has been selected. Despite his charming voice and appearance he was slightly popular in Armenia. Several years ago he took part in one of AMPTV’s musical projects and recorded a music video dedicated to Yerevan.
Armenia: First artist of Genealogy known!

Essaï Altounian is the first member of the band representing Armenia in the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest to be announced. The well-known French-Armenian singer will represent the continent … Read more

From the continent of Asia we had many potential participants but Stephanie Topalian has been selected. She was a real discovery, my discovery, because none has ever heard about Stephanie in Armenia. It was challenging to find her through the Internet because in Japan other social platforms are being used, however it was meant to be. With uniquely beautiful facial features of Armenian-Japanese mixture and soft delightful voice our compatriot joined the project.
Armenia: Second artist of Genealogy known!

Tamar Kaprelian is the second member of the band Genealogy, representing Armenia in the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest with Don’t Deny. Born and raised in the US, she will represent the continent of Ame… Read more

In terms of continent America it was relatively easy, as there is a large Armenian community and we pretty much know all of them. There were some discoveries in South America; yet our choice was elegant singer Tamar Kaprelian. Tamar was also slightly popular among Armenian fans and her name was even actively discussed in Social Media as a potential participant for Eurovision several years ago.
Armenia: Third artist of Genealogy known!

Vahe Tilbian is the third confirmed member of the band Genealogy, representing Armenia in the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest with Don’t Deny. Born and raised in Ethiopia, he will represent the continent… Read more

In the continent of Africa we did not have a large choice – there are Armenian communities mostly in Egypt and Ethiopia. We selected Vahe Tilbian because he has great experience in singing live and he usually performs with a band. He has a very enthusiastic character and is a great patriot.
Armenia: Fourth artist of Genealogy known!

Stephanie Topalian is the fourth confirmed member of the band Genealogy, representing Armenia in the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest with Don’t Deny. Residing in Japan, she will represent the contin… Read more

In Australia there is a wonderful world-renowned soprano Arax Mansourian as a representative of the elder Armenian generation and she was the one to direct us to one of her students – Mary-Jean. This choice took only one minute. We agreed without hesitation because the powerful voice of this opera singer is attracting from the very first second.
Armenia: Fifth artist of Genealogy known!

Mary-Jean O’Doherty Vasmatzian is the fifth confirmed member of the band Genealogy, representing Armenia in the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest with Don’t Deny. She will represent th… Read more

The group would be impossible without a representative from the Republic of Armenia, simply because the bridge is being built between Armenia and Eurovision. The singer, who will be revealed along with the premiere of the music video, is the center and the connecting dot of Genealogy. The singer’s voice is powerful and diverse, even in the song it is uniting and connecting the five voices.

Don’t Deny – The song and video

The Head of the Armenian Delegations explains how the song was created:

The song has also been selected internally. We have been collaborating with numerous Armenian composers and lyricists. This year I was especially thrilled with the fact that after our last year’s success in Eurovision there was a wave of excitement and desire to create a winning song. The creative team of AMPTV selected the song composed by Armen Martirosyan and lyricist Inna Mkrtchyan. This was the song to perfectly fit Eurovision song format and combine all six unique voices creating the desired atmosphere on the stage.

We decided to have a double premiere and present the song along with the music video considering that it is making a greater impact and is reinforcing the power of the narrative. The song is about universal values and the message is one – “Happiness is born when people are united and live in harmony with themselves, their families, love relationships and so on. Generations are shifting with time but the genealogy remains, thus the values of love and peace are stable.”

Source: eurovision.tv

wherever Armenian Live they Build “Three Sisters Grapes”

March 3, 2015 By administrator

Natalie Soghomonian, Three Sisters Grapes

No Vine Before Its Time

One Degree grains have a natural sweetness that isn’t entirely the result of their sunny dispositions.

The grains we use to make our breads, cereals and flour are sprouted, and that means nature has added its own spoonfuls of sweetness. When a grain begins to sprout, the plant releases natural sugars to sustain it during this period of active growth. At the same time, the plant is also releasing enzymes that simplify compounds (making the grain more easily digestible), along with a burst of nutrients and natural flavor.

Sometimes, though, the recipe calls for an extra dash of sweetness, and that’s how we found Natalie Soghomonian, manager of an organic vineyard just south of Fresno, California. Natalie is a third generation farmer and, as the middle daughter of owners Joe and Johnni Soghomonian, is part inspiration for the farm’s famous Three Sisters label.

The Soghomonian farm grows a wide range of flavorful grapes. The family also reserves a portion of its acreage for the production of raisins, made from plump fresh grapes grown veganically. Based on the safe growing practices on the farm, the integrity of the family, and the nearly unimaginable flavor of the raisins, One Degree has chosen this select ingredient to sweeten a variety of our products.

No Vine Before Its Time

One Degree grains have a natural sweetness that isn’t entirely the result of their sunny dispositions.

Three Sisters Grapes

When he was in his early 20s, Joe Soghomonian took over the farm from his father, an immigrant from Armenia who had seen promise in this open land, a place to cultivate prosperity and happiness for his family. Concern for the family was a prime reason Joe decided 30 years ago to become one of the first farmers in this corner of the Central Valley to become organic.

“Once you go through there and spray, you can hear a pin drop,” Joe remembers. He knew that kind of silent spring was not healthy for his daughters, who loved to play in the fields.

For Natalie, working in the fields was at least as much fun as playing there. As a child, she never missed a chance to wake up early and help her father tend the vineyards and groves. She has always wanted to be a farmer. In college, classmates gave her the nickname “farm chick,” a moniker that’s made its way onto the license plate of her pickup truck. Every day she tours the fields, often riding an old bike past rows of purple-dappled vines.

The vineyard is an idyllic place. That’s especially true in the spring when bright red poppies bloom amid the vines and the fields are adorned with the vivid stripes of cover crops— flowers, clover and other plants which build nutrients in the soil. The cover crops are key to the success of veganic cultivation of grapes, and flowers play an important role in attracting beneficial types of insects that keep destructive bugs on vine-tasting tours at bay.

Looking out on this beautiful landscape, with its gracefully tangled vines, stately walnut trees and elegantly designed buildings, it’s obvious why Natalie is so devoted to this land and why she takes so much pride in the fruit of her family’s labors. “My organic raisins have better quality than the other raisins that you get in the store because of the integrity and the patience that goes into growing that product,” she says.

The grapes destined to become raisins are hand-picked, because machinery can “juice up the grape” and increase the likelihood of mold, she adds. It’s important to control moisture later, too, as the grapes make the flavorful transition to raisins. “You need to move the trays around to make sure they’re getting air and heat in there. I’m out there every hour checking.”

Natalie doesn’t believe in shortcuts, whether it’s the allure of mass-production or the false promise of genetically modified plant varieties. Quality over quantity is a core principle. And when it comes to planting new vines, taste is paramount. “There’s no flavor in a lot of the new varieties,” she says. “The quality’s not there.” And there’s often an absence of the full range of nutrients, she believes.

As part of her commitment to quality, Natalie has made it a priority to sell raisins directly to consumers and organic food companies, rather than to packers. “Packers mix it a lot, you don’t know where it goes. They will often mix it with lower quality raisins. You don’t know where your raisins go, the buyers don’t know where the raisin is coming from.”

Her perspective on quality and transparency is a natural fit for One Degree. “When you purchase my raisins I know exactly which block they came from,” she says. Natalie is excited about the fact that consumers can scan the QR code on a One Degree package and see a video about her farm, featuring her own description of how, when and where the crop was grown. “That’s really great; I think that’s beautiful,” she told us. “I wish everything had that. That’s what I’m about too.”

We’re confident that our customers are going to enjoy getting to know Natalie and her irresistible raisins. And we’re gratified to know that the truth, transparency and sweetness of our veganic loaves are on the vine, in rows tapering through a rich organic landscape, somewhere south of Fresno.

http://www.threesistersorganic.com/

— Charlie Dodge

An Armenian Hero at the Garden

March 3, 2015 By administrator

By Shant Shahrigian

Metropolitan Diary

Dear Diary:

Midway through a December match at Madison Square Garden, world Greco-Roman wrestling champion Arsen Julfalakyan of Armenia and Olympic hopeful Kyle Dake of New York were nearly deadlocked, with the score 2-0 in Dake’s favor.
Many audience members were young wrestlers themselves, a polite crowd that watched the day’s program of matches mostly in silence. Loud Armenian and English cheers from my friends and I thus stood out.
“Arsen, arach!” – “Arsen, charge!” – shouted Sergei, my brother-in-law’s cousin visiting from the North Caucasus.
“Uzhaspar! Neri, neri, neri!” – “He’s out of energy! Push, push push!” – cried my brother-in-law, also named Arsen, a native of Armenia.
“Let’s go, Arsen!” I, an Armenian-American, shouted.
A man in front of me turned around to say this must be the Armenian section. “How did you know?” I replied. Sergei and I had Armenia’s red, blue and orange flag draped on our laps.
“This guy must be like Derek Jeter and Babe Ruth rolled into one over there,” the other spectator said of Julfalakyan. He has been a hero in Armenia at least since he earned a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Armenians seem to excel at competitions where the equipment is limited to your body (wrestling) or brain (chess) alone.
At the risk of sounding corny, you might include heart, too. In the final round, the audience could hear Julfalakyan will his way to victory. After starting in the top position over Dake, Julfalakyan gave a loud cry as he spectacularly spun and heaved his challenger over him. Doing it a second time earned him six points over Dake’s total of three.
After the match, Julfalakyan shook hands, accepted congratulations and stood for photos with my friends, a handful of other supporters and I. It felt like a good day for “the Armenian section.”

Armenia: Fifth artist of Genealogy known! 2015 Eurovision

March 3, 2015 By administrator

erevan, Armenia –

Mary-Jean O’Doherty Vasmatzian, Armenian Artist from Australia

Mary-Jean O’Doherty Vasmatzian is the fifth confirmed member of the band Genealogy, representing Armenia in the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest with Don’t Deny. She will represent the Australia in the project.

Stephanie Topalian, Essaï Altounian, Vahe Tilbian and Tamar Kaprelian have already been announced as members of the group Genealogy, representing Armenia in the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest. Today they are officially joined by Mary-Jean O’Doherty Vasmatzian from Australia. Thus, only one more member is left to be officially announced.

Mary-Jean’s stunning and crystal clear voice of coloratura soprano filled many famous opera houses. It was because of her mother’s Armenian education that Mary-Jean was encouraged to study dance, flute and singing. Being proud of her Armenian roots and origin she was inspired by Armenian composer, singer, musicologist and priest Komitas.

An Armenian Artist from Australia

Mary-Jean O’Doherty Vasmatzian was born in Houston, Texas to an Armenian-Greek mother and an Australian father. Pursuing studies at North Carolina School of the Arts and East Carolina University Mary-Jean has received her Bachelor of Music degree in Voice and Flute performance as well as Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2005.

Studying singing in Sydney with Arax Mansourian in 2008, Mary-Jean O’Doherty was the first recipient of the Australian International Opera Award to study at the Cardiff International Academy of Voice, directed by the international tenor Dennis O’Neill. Mary-Jean O’Doherty was the first recipient of the Australian International Opera Award to study at the Cardiff International Academy of Voice, directed by the international tenor Dennis O’Neill.

Birthday stroll in the Old City’s Armenian Quarter…

March 1, 2015 By administrator

By Ruth Wasserman Lande

Yesterday, I celebrated my birthday. Having chosen a rather unusual way in which to celebrate it, I had a rare, yet intriguing, glimpse into the life an Armenian priest, and an even rarer chance to examine, from within, the underlying tensions between Armenian, Greek Orthodox and Catholic Christians in an already complex Jewish capital…

We began by entering the usually unyielding Armenian priests’ compound in the Armenian Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem. Quite astounded, I discovered wide parking lots behind secret gateways, in an area where it is barely possibly to pass by, even with a small car. Likewise, the living quarters of approximately 100 Armenian monks, as well as approximately 150 more Armenians, who live with their families within the premises, were wondrously opened to us, a Jewish Israeli couple, by our friend, an Armenian Lebanese monk, who has been living in Israel for the past 30 years.

The Armenians follow their own Archbishop and Pope, whose seat is in faraway Armenia and provide services and protection to those following the Ethiopian and the Coptic Churches in Israel. Their undeclared enemies are neither the State of Israel, nor Islam, at least not in Israel, yet the Greek Orthodox Church and to a lesser degree, the Catholic Church in this country.

Following a heart-to-heart chat about the complexities of our region, I probed deeper into the life experiences of our friend, whose family members remain in Lebanon, dreading the likes of ISIS and other evils. Once more, it became abundantly clear to me, that despite all criticism of- and complexities in the tiny State of Israel, there remain certain pillars of virtue which are remarkable, one of which is the freedom of religion which is granted in general and to Christians in particular.

I was witness to just how difficult and sensitive my aforementioned observation really was, in the following part of the trip: Following a group of Armenian monks, my husband and I strolled with them in a ceremonious manner, from the Armenian Quarter towards the Church of the Holy Sepulchre – a half-an-hour walk , if one is not in a hurry… I was a Jewish Israeli woman, strolling with a group of Armenian monks, cloaked in black with huge gold crosses on their necks and pointed tall caps, in the midst of a Christian pilgrim crowd, Muslim local merchants and several, particularly religious, Jewish passers-by.

As if this was not surreal enough, I was both surprised and proud to notice several Israeli security personnel securing the monks. When asked who they were securing them from, I was answered by one of the policemen that it was from several extreme Jewish individuals, who had taken the habit to spit at the monks during former such parades… During this particular parade, I was spared dubious pleasure of experiencing the above… What ensued within the Church itself was even more astounding- hordes of visitors, both pilgrims and local clergymen were organized in a miraculous fashion, according to a strict timetable, which enabled the Armenian followers to perform their rituals and ceremonies, then those who follow the Greek Orthodox Church and finally the Catholics to carry out their own such practices.

This surprisingly well-ordered, if somewhat tense manifestation of internal agreements between the three sects vis-à-vis their holy of holies, was not only respected and acknowledged by the State of Israel, but kept orderly by Israeli policemen, lest Greek Orthodox monks physically abuse those of the Armenian order, or vice versa. Quite surreal.

My birthday gift was clear: yet another astounding reminder and a greater clarity of just how complex, potentially explosive and wondrously fascinating this city of Jerusalem really is – for all people.

Source: Jpost

Armenians in France “3rd and 4th generation”

February 28, 2015 By administrator

La Croix, France 16 Feb 2015

Armenians in France

map of the Armenian community in France.

The Armenian community in France has about 600,000 people, 400,000 were born in France (3rd and 4th generation now). These figures do not take into account the recent immigration of Armenians from Armenia.

The community is mostly centered around three areas géographiquesâ @ I: the Paris region (over 200,000 people), the Marseille region (over 150,000) and Lyon (about 150,000).

The city of Alfortville (Val-de-Marne), nicknamed the Â “Â Little Armenia” is one of the most representative, with 7000 has 9,000 members from more than 45 000 inhabitants.

Other cities also have a high concentration as Issy-les-Moulineaux (Hauts-de-Seine), Lyon, Nice, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Grenoble, Montpellier, etc.

The Armenian community has many associations, at least six Armenian schools (one school in Marseille), and a hundred Â “schools Saturday or Sunday Â” to the teaching of the Armenian language.

http://www.la-croix.com/Actualite/France/Les-Armeniens-en-France-2015-02-16-1281478

Thousands of demonstrators in Stepanakert for 27 anniversary of the anti-Armenian pogroms in Sumgait

February 28, 2015 By administrator

protesters marched in the streets of Stepanakert Nagorno Karabakh)

Last February 28, thousands of protesters marched in the streets of Stepanakert (capital of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh) to visit the memorial of the Armenian victims of Sumgait. Demonstrators wore many posters accusing Azerbaijan in its racist and anti-Armenian policy. Slogans such as “We demand justice! “,” Sumgait was genocide carried out by criminals, “or” Never again! “. In the crowd, many citizens of Nagorno Karabakh, MPs, government officials, President Bako Sahakyan and 1200 members of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun came from Yerevan. He is 27 years old, from 27 to 29 February 1988 in Sumgait (Azerbaijan) several hundred Armenians were victims of pogroms carried out by the Azerbaijani authorities to counter the uprising of Armenians in Karabakh.

Krikor Amirzayan

Syria: French Senators visit Armenian Church of Damascus

February 26, 2015 By administrator

By Siranush Ghazanchyan

French Senators visit Armenian Church of Damascus

French Senate member, Head of the Senate’s French-Syrian Friendship Committee Jean-Pierre Vial and member of the Senate and Mayor of Laval city François Zocchetto visited the Armenian Orthodox Church of Damascus Diocese where they met Bishop Armash Nalbandian, who explained the situation in Syria in general and particularly in cities of Damascus and Aleppo, SANA agency reports.

For his part, Bishop Nalbandian indicated that national unity is still embracing the fabric of the Syrian society, and all Syrian spectra are united in countering the takfiri ideology that is targeting Syria.

He added that Turkey has played a big aggressive role in the crisis, opening its borders to the terrorist organizations, which perpetrated massacres against the Syrian Armenians in the city of Kassab and other Syrian settlements, as their Ottoman predecessors did in 1915, committing horrific genocide against the Armenians.

Bishop Nalbandian stressed that Armenians are deeply rooted in Syria, and they are part and parcel of the Syrian people, as they wish to see a comprehensive solution to the.

“A lot of innocent people in Damascus have been killed in almost daily terrorist attacks with rocket and mortar shells,” Bishop Nalbandian said, adding that the Church was targeted twice last year leaving many children dead.