Events
A List of Special Programs
We are joining six other community organizations to co-sponsor the premiere of Nubar Alexanian's “Finding Armenia” documentary. The event will be held on April 10 at NAASR’s Vartan Gregorian Building, 395 Concord Ave, Belmont, MA at 7:30 pm. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the Director.
Yerevan String Quartet was established in 2017 by Narek Sahakyan and Mikael Navasardyan. The quartet has performed in various concert venues in Armenia as well as for charity and corporate events. They are all members of the Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra and are laureates of many international and national competitions.
This group mainly performs Armenian classical and contemporary composers such as Komitas, L. Chaushyan, A. Babajanyan, E. Mirzoyan, R. Altunyan, T. Mansuryan, G. Hovunts, A. Ayvazyan, and H. Stepanyan.
Narek Sahakyan- founder, lead violinist, and artistic director
Gevorg Gasparyan- violinist
Hayk Ter-Hovhannisyan - viola
Mikael Navasardyan- co-founder and cellist
Our Bi-Monthly Hybrid Concert Series is free thanks to a generous grant from the Dadourian Foundation. The concert will be posted on Facebook (click "going" to receive a reminder), here on on our website and YouTube channel.
Preview and reception exclusively for members of the Armenian Museum of America. A new exhibit of 40 works of art from our collection curated by Ryann Casey. Some of the artists include Minas Avetisyan, Martiros Sarian, Maria Manukyan Batlle, Reuben Nakian, Naomi Pridjian, Jean Jansem, Jean Carzou, Edgar Chahine, Martin Barooshian, and Kevork Mourad
Don't forget to renew your membership or join so you don't miss this special event:
The Armenian Museum of America and the Watertown Free Public Library welcome author Victoria Waterman in conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Stephen Kurkjian about Victoria’s book "Who She Left Behind."
The novel is historical fiction based on her own family’s history, spanning multiple generations from the final days of the Ottoman Empire to the Armenian neighborhoods in RI & MA in the 1990s.
The Board of Trustees cordially invite you to our second annual Members Reception and Gallery Stroll on Dec. 7 from 5:00 to 8:00. This event is complimentary for current members.
This event will raise funds for humanitarian relief for the Armenians of Artsakh. All donations will be matched by an anonymous donor.
Stay tuned for our 18th online concert featuring the Yerevan Music School Choir named after Stepan Jrbashyan (Choir director Mamikon Andreasyan) which has won a number of national and international prizes at the Gyumri "Renaissance" and "Art-Music" international competition festivals, as well as at the "On the Wings of Music" held in Samara won an honorable first-class prize in the competition.
Pre-recorded and produced in Armenia by Daniel Ayriyan. Our Bi-Monthly Hybrid Concert Series is free thanks to a generous grant from the Dadourian Foundation. The concert will be posted here on our website, on Facebook, and on our YouTube channel.
The Armenian Museum of America is proud to present "Early Recordings of Armenian Classics" by musician and composer Ara Dinkjian. Ara will discuss early recordings of well-known Armenian songs, play recordings made more than 100 years ago, and share historic photographs.
This event is part of our "Sound Archive" series sponsored by the SJS Charitable Trust. It is free for members, and we will raise funds for humanitarian relief for the Armenians of Artsakh. All donations will be matched by an anonymous donor.
Composer/instrumentalist Ara Dinkjian graduated from Hartt College of Music, earning the country’s first and only special degree in the oud. He is considered one of the finest oud players in the world. His compositions have appeared in movie soundtracks and have been recorded by musicians in 16 different languages. Dinkjian’s composition “Homecoming (Dinata, Dinata)” was performed at the closing ceremonies of the 2004 Athens Olympics. Dinkjian’s collection of over 6,000 Armenian and Turkish 78 rpm records is one of the largest archives of this material in the world.
Our 17th Online Concert features an exclusive performance by The Katil Band.
Mark your calendar for October 15 and immerse yourself in a virtual concert with Katil, one of Armenia’s standout bands. Named 'Water-drop' in English, Katil blossomed in Yerevan in 2017, reigniting Armenian Indie-folk music passion among the youth. With members hailing from varied Armenian regions, each adds a distinct flavor to their sound. Delight in Grigor Kartashyan’s woodwind melodies, Grigor Davtyan's rhythmic beats, Sevada Hambarchyan's soulful vocals, and Robert Simonyan’s deep bass lines. Let Katil take you on a musical journey, intertwining cultures and showcasing Armenia's rich musical heritage.
Recorded and produced in Armenia by Daniel Ayriyan. Our Bi-Monthly Hybrid Concert Series is free thanks to a generous grant from the Dadourian Foundation. The concert will be posted here on our website, on Facebook, and on our YouTube channel.
Join us for on Monday, October 2 at 7:00 pm for a listening event with Ian Nagoski of Canary Records about soprano Zabelle Panosian. He is the author (together with Harout Arakelian and Harry Kezelian) of a recent biography that presents her story along with restorations of her recordings.
"Zabelle Panosian sang one of the most amazing notes I've ever heard - so much humanity, sorrow, promise, infinite longing," said David Harrington of the Kronos Quartet. "When I write my novel the main character will be Zabelle's note."
This artist panel will be discussing Ara Oshagan’s “Disrupted, Borders” exhibition currently showing in the Museum’s contemporary galleries. The panel will bring Oshagan together with artist and educator Ryann Casey, writer Hrag Vartanian, and Professor Christina Maranci, all of whom touch upon contemporary Armenian art and politics in their respective work. There will be a light reception afterwards which will take place in the Adele & Haig Der Manuelian Galleries.
The panel discussion will concentrate on the role that image-making plays in our understanding of diasporic identity, displacement, and our collective history. Of particular interest is the use of historical objects and family archives in the conversation around dislocation, borders, and (un)imagined futures.
Panelists:
Ara Oshagan is a multi-disciplinary artist, curator, and cultural worker whose practice explores collective and personal histories of dispossession, legacies of violence, and identity. He works in photography, film, collage, installation, book art, public art, and monument-making. Oshagan has published three books of photographs, is currently an artist-in-residence at 18th Street Art Center in Santa Monica, and a curator at ReflectSpace Gallery in Glendale.
Ryann Casey is a New Jersey based artist and educator. She is an adjunct Professor of Photography, Art History and Critical Theory at Stockton University, and her current photographic and curatorial projects focus on themes of loss, trauma, and memory. Along with “Disrupted, Borders,” Casey has curated a number of exhibitions surrounding Armenian artists and history.
Dr. Christina Maranci is one of the world’s foremost experts on Armenian architecture. The first woman and first person of Armenian descent to serve as Harvard University’s Mashtots Chair of Armenian Studies, Dr. Maranci has also supported cultural heritage programs in what is now Eastern Turkey for over a decade, with a focus on at-risk Armenian churches and monasteries.
Hrag Vartanian is an artist, curator, and critic and has written widely on Armenian artists and cultural production for over two decades. After co-founding Hyperallergic in 2009, Vartanian has served as the arts magazine’s editor-in-chief ever since. His writings have also appeared in the Brooklyn Rail, Huffington Post, Al Jazeera, and NPR.
This event and related exhibition have been generously sponsored by Michele M. Kolligian in memory of Haig Der Manuelian for his dedication and foresight in sharing Armenia’s rich history and culture with the world, including an impressive collection of Armenian Manuscripts that he gifted to the Armenian Museum.
Ara Oshagan, Beirut Memory Project #22, 60"x40", digital collage, archival pigment print on velvet fine art paper
The Armenian Museum of America is announcing its 16th Online Concert on Sunday, August 6 at 1:00 pm EST/ 10:00 am PST for a performance by composer and pianist Mher Samvelyan. This concert be the world premiere of Mher's original compositions which incorporate the Aria Children's Choir, strings, and a Kanun trio.
The concert and preview video above were recorded and produced in Armenia by Daniel Ayriyan. Our Bi-Monthly Hybrid Concert Series is free thanks to a generous grant from the Dadourian Foundation.
Our next contemporary exhibit opens to the public with a reception on June 7. Photographer and installation artist Ara Oshagan's show is titled “Disrupted, Borders.”
Drawing on his own history and identity, Oshagan brings together several series of work that focus on “his interest in diasporic identity, afterlives of displacement and colonization, erasure and (un)imagined futures.”
Using a variety of mediums ranging from photography to film to collage, Oshagan weaves together different geographies and spaces that considers the impact of borders (both visible and invisible) on our personal and collective history, past-present-future, and the disruption of dislocation.
This exhibition is curated by Ryann Casey.
Click here for tickets.
The Armenian Museum of America is announcing its 15th Online Concert featuring an exclusive concert by Khachik Sahakyan and the Reprise Band. The concert will be shown online on Sunday, June 4. Stay tuned for details.
The Armenian Museum of America recently announced its 13th Online Concert featuring an exclusive performance by The Davit Melkonyan Group. The concert will be shown online on Sunday, January 6th at 1:00 pm EST (10:00 am PST and 9:00 pm in Yerevan).
The Davit Melkonyan Group was founded by the Armenian saxophonist David Melkonyan. According to David, the group's creative journey commenced at the end of 2019, when he had accumulated sufficient musical and ideological content to share with the public. Being a musician with extensive creative and performing experience not only in jazz music but also in other musical genres such as academic music, rock, pop, and Armenian folk, he began a search for his original creative style based on the aesthetics and traditions of contemporary jazz trends. The group's repertoire contains not just David's music but also those of his colleagues, who are incredibly talented musicians. The repertory comprises songs from an older and modern generation of Armenian composers.
Rearranging and presenting songs by other composers involve changing them in the style and concept of "personal opinion" while keeping to the principles and aesthetics of correct, competent handling of musical material. This, according to the band, can give fresh life and popularity to superb examples of Armenian pop/jazz music that are sometimes forgotten or unperformed. The group comprises one of the most accomplished and sought-after performers in the present Armenian musical and performance sphere.
Anna Kostanyan - vocals
Davit Melkonyan - saxophone
Daniel Melkonyan - trumpet
Areg Ordyan - guitar
Karen Mamikonyan - piano
Edgar Avetisyan - bass
Arman Mnatsakanyan - drums
The Online Concert series is free thanks to a generous grant from the Dadourian Foundation. Preregistration is not required. The link will be available on the Museum’s Facebook page, YouTube Channel, and website. ArmenianMuseum.org.
The Armenian Museum of America in Watertown, MA, is the largest Armenian museum in the diaspora. Its three floors of gallery space are open Thursdays through Sundays from 12:00 noon to 6:00 pm
Please join us Thursday, December 8, 2022 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm to enjoy the festivities of the holiday season!
Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served.
Kindly reply by December 2 via www.armenianmuseum.org/christmas or by calling Elias Trout at (617) 926-2562 x102
Free parking available in the lot on the Church Street side of the Museum.
This event is complimentary for current members.
If you are not a member, now is a great time to renew or join! Memberships start at only $50 for an Individual and $75 for a Family.
Join us for our 12th Online Concert, performed in Armenia exclusively for the Museum! This concert was recorded and produced in Armenia by Daniel Ayriyan, and it is free thanks to a generous grant from the Dadourian Foundation.
The band features Norayr Kartashyan (duduk, pku) along with Levon Arakelyan (cello), Erik Avagyan (duduk, alto sariduduk), Grigor Davtyan (percussion), Grigor Kartashyan (blul, bass sariduduk, bagpipe), and Vasil Sahakyan (duduk). Kartashyan has collaborated with a number of artists including Tigran Hamasyan, Arto Tuncboyacıyan, and the Katuner Band.
The concert will be streamed online on Sunday, November 13 at 2:00 pm EST. Pre-registration is not required. The link will be available on our website, Facebook page, and YouTube Channel.
"Expanded Resonance," 1992, acrylic on canvas, 46 x 69.75 inches, courtesy of the Joan and Jack Quinn Family Collection.
Artist Panel 2:00 – 3:30 pm
Reception 3:30 – 5:00 pm
Suggested donation $15.
Free admission for museum members and students.
“On the Edge: Los Angeles Art 1970s-1990s from the Joan and Jack Quinn Family Collection” features more than 75 artists including Lita Albuquerque, John Altoon, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Lynda Benglis, Vija Celmins, Frank Gehry, Helmut Newton, Ed Ruscha, and Andy Warhol.
Artists on our panel:
Laddie John Dill
Gregory Wiley Edwards
Joe Fay
Bolton Colburn (Moderator)
LADDIE JOHN DILL gained notoriety with materials such as glass, metal, neon, and cement. His work embodies gesture and dynamic physical presence through its use of industrial materials. The abstract expressionism of GREGORY WILEY EDWARDS is highly influenced by performance, activism, and his investigations into African art and philosophy. JOE FAY gleaned a philosophy of experimentation that motivates his practice. Inspired by the natural world, his work explores the limit of each material to effectively celebrate the subject.
Adele and Haig Der Manuelian Galleries, Third Floor
Armenian Museum of America, 65 Main Street, Watertown, MA
The Armenian Museum of America recently announced its 11th Online Concert featuring an exclusive performance by the Komitas Quartet. The concert will be shown online on Sunday, August 14 at 1:00 pm EST (10:00 am PST and 9:00 pm in Yerevan).
Founded in 1924, the Komitas Quartet is the oldest-established string quartet still performing today. The Komitas Quartet is named after composer Soghomon Soghomonian, or Komitas, who had a formidable impact on Armenian music at the turn of the 20th century.
The Online Concert series is free thanks to a generous grant from the Dadourian Foundation. Preregistration is not required. The link will be available on the Museum’s Facebook page, YouTube Channel, and website.
This exhibition, our largest in 50 years, features more than 75 artists including Lita Albuquerque, John Altoon, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Lynda Benglis, Vija Celmins, Gregory Wiley Edwards, Frank Gehry, Helmut Newton, Ed Ruscha, and Andy Warhol. Curated by Rachel McCullah Wainwright.
The companion exhibition, “Discovering Takouhi: Portraits of Joan Agajanian Quinn,” will include Armenian artists such as Dahlia Elsayed, Jean Kazandjian, Silvina Der Meguerditchian, Ara Oshagan, Zaven Sarkissian, and Aram Saroyan. Curated by Gina Grigorian and Natalie Varbedian.
Members Preview & Reception 5:00 to 7:00 pm
Non-Members Preview 7:00 to 9:00 pm
On view in the Armenian Museum’s Adele and Haig Der Manuelian Galleries from June 16 to November 30, 2022.
Presented by the JHM Foundation.
Please RSVP to andrea@armenianmuseum.org
Our 10th Online Concert will feature a solo recital by Kariné Poghosyan, who will perform works by Aram Khachaturian and Franz Liszt. The concert will be shown online on Sunday, June 5 at 2:00 pm EST (11:00 am PST and 10:00 pm in Yerevan).
Award-winning pianist Kariné Poghosyan had her orchestral debut at age 14. Her recent concerts include sold-out recitals at Carnegie Hall, the second of which was a CD release of her Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky recording on Centaur Records. Gramophone Magazine praised the recording as “masterly textural layering and resounding climaxes” while the American Record Guide stated: “a more heroic program would be hard to find, and few could play as well as the Armenian-American Poghosyan.”
Poghosyan launched a virtual concert series on her Patreon titled “Musical Time Travels.” It includes 12 solo programs from various historical periods. Upcoming in-person performances include recitals at Ehrbar Saal in Vienna and the Soraya Performing Arts Center in California.
Our Online Concert series is free, thanks to a generous grant from the Dadourian Foundation, and pre-registration is not required. The link will be available on the Museum’s Facebook page, YouTube Channel, and website ArmenianMuseum.org.
We regret to announce that this event is filled to capacity. Registration is required to attend and we had anticipated a strong response from Chris' dedicated fans. We hope you will still purchase The Lioness from your favorite bookseller. It will also be available in our Gift Shop after the release date.
Chris Bohjalian will be in conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Stephen Kurkjian (author of Master Thieves) at the Armenian Museum of America discussing The Lioness and what words, reading, and books can mean to the soul. An Unlikely Story book shop will be selling signed copies of The Lioness at the Museum.
Coming Soon: "On the Edge: Los Angeles Art from the Joan and Jack Quinn Family Collection" will be opening on June 16! The show will be curated by Rachel McCullah Wainwright. Stay tuned for details and join our email list for updates (https://www.armenianmuseum.org/join-our-email-list).
Yankees from the Middle East: The Armenians of New England | Historic New England
A webinar on the Armenians of New England co-hosted with Historic New England. Curator Gary Lind-Sinanian will draw upon documents, photographs, and artifacts in the collection of the Armenian Museum of America. This event is free, and donations are encouraged. Please visit this link for more information.
Stay tuned for our 9th online concert featuring an exclusive performance by the Artyom Manukyan Quartet! This Armenia-based jazz ensemble features Arman Mnatcakanyan (drums), Arman Peshtmaljyan (keyboards), Karen Mamikonyan (keyboards), and Artyom Manukyan (cello). Cellist Artyom Manukyan first made his name as a musician in his native Armenia and traveled the world as the youngest member of the BBC World Music Award-winning Armenian Navy Band. This concert series is supported by a generous grant from the Dadourian Foundation.
You're invited to our Online Christmas Concert recorded live at the Museum! This event features the Nor Trio and the Sargis Karapetyan String Quartet, who will perform a selection of Armenian and Christmas songs. Some of the works include Scherzo by Komitas and Arno Babajanian’s Nocturne, as well as Silent Night, Joy to the World, and Winter Wonderland.
The String Quartet (pictured) is Sargis Karapetyan (violin), Armen Ghazaryan (violin), Cherry Kim (cello), and Oleg Soloviev (viola). The Nor Trio is Sargis Karapetyan (violin), Andrei Sobchenko (alto saxophone), and Nune Hakobyan (piano).
This event is free thanks to a generous grant from the Dadourian Foundation. It will stream online on Wednesday, December 22 at 7:30 pm EST (4:30 pm PST) via our YouTube Channel.
WATERTOWN, MA--The Armenian Museum of America re-opened in June with three floors of updated exhibitions including ancient and medieval artifacts, displays on folk instruments, and two contemporary art exhibits. At the same time, the Museum is continuing to offer virtual programs for members and supporters around the world.
The next Online Concert hosted by the Museum will feature young vocalists and musicians from the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies. TUMO is a free education center for teens in Armenia specializing in technology and design. The TUMO Band is led by Arik Grigoryan, a member of the popular rock band Bambir. The group met during his music workshop at TUMO and they perform genres from rock to classical, fusing the traditional with the modern.
“Our goal is to return to hosting cultural events such as this in our gallery, but we are happy to host the performances online and to partner with musicians in Yerevan and other cities for our local, national, and international members and friends,” explains Executive Director Jason Sohigian.
“This exciting concert was recorded exclusively for the Armenian Museum, and it is free to attend thanks to a generous grant from the Dadourian Foundation, whose mission is to promote Armenian cultural identity,” adds Sohigian. “We do hope that viewers join the Museum as members, though, as it supports our mission to preserve and share Armenian heritage and culture. We’ve had an impressive response to our 50th anniversary membership drive and would like to continue the momentum.”
TUMO Center for Creative Technologies is made up of self-learning activities, workshops, and project labs that cover technology and design including computer programming, animation, game development, robotics, 3D modeling, filmmaking, and graphic design. More than 20,000 students currently attend TUMO centers in Armenia on a regular basis. In recent years, TUMO centers have opened in Paris, Moscow, Tirana, Berlin, and Beirut.
TUMO’s music program explores many genres and instruments, as well as songwriting, composing, and the use of digital audio software.
The 19 members of the band range in age from 14 to 23, and they go to TUMO twice a week for the afterschool music program. Ten of the group members are vocalists, and others play instruments such as cello, guitar, violin, and flute. This concert will include original songs by the band, as well as music written to accompany stories by Hovhannes Tumanyan, Mesrop Mashtots, and Rumi.
The Armenian Museum of America is the largest Armenian museum in the Diaspora. It has grown into a major repository for all forms of Armenian material culture that illustrate the creative endeavors of the Armenian people over the centuries. Today, the Museum’s collections hold more than 25,000 artifacts including 5,000 ancient and medieval Armenian coins, 1,000 stamps and maps, 3,000 textiles, and 180 Armenian inscribed rugs. In addition to more than 30,000 books in the Research Library, there is an extensive collection of Urartian and religious artifacts, ceramics, medieval illuminations, and various other objects. The collection includes historically significant objects, including five of the Armenian Bibles printed in Amsterdam in 1666.
The Armenian Museum of America is currently open Friday through Sunday from 12:00 noon to 6:00 pm. The concert will stream online on Sunday, October 24 at 2:00 pm EST (11:00 am PST) via the Museum’s Facebook page, YouTube Channel, and website www.ArmenianMuseum.org, and it will be available online for later viewing.
The Armenian Museum of America re-opened in June with revamped galleries of ancient and medieval artifacts, and two contemporary art exhibits in its Adele and Haig Der Manuelian Galleries. Although the Museum is open, it will continue to offer virtual programming for members and patrons in other cities.
The sixth online concert, “Past Meets Present,” will be shown online on Thursday, August 19 at 7:30 pm EST (4:30 pm PST). The concert series is supported by a grant from the Dadourian Foundation and is curated by Konstantin Petrossian, artistic director, composer, and conductor.
The performance features the young shvi player David Harutyunyan and Levon Babayan on dhol, accompanied by pianist Lusine Karapetyan. The trio will perform traditional Armenian songs in a video recorded in Armenia exclusively for the Museum.
“The Museum adapted quickly during the temporary closure last year,” explains Executive Director Jason Sohigian. “We worked on two tracks, updating our galleries and developing a major series of online programs including this concert series and a monthly virtual exhibition highlighting objects in our collection. The response to the online and in-person material has been great so we hope to continue in both directions.”
The virtual concert is free and pre-registration is not required. It will be available on the Museum’s website, Facebook page, and YouTube Channel.
The Armenian Museum of America recently announced the fifth in its online concert series featuring the VAN Quartet, an Armenian ethno-jazz fusion group. The concert will be shown online on Sunday, June 13 at 2:00 pm EST (11:00 am PST and 10:00 pm in Armenia).
This concert series is supported by a generous grant from the Dadourian Foundation and is curated by Maestro Konstantin Petrossian, artistic director, composer, and conductor. It is free, open to the public, and pre-registration is not required.
“In recent months we’ve hosted artists from Armenia, as well as from the diaspora,” says Executive Director Jason Sohigian. “This month, we’re pleased to present this concert with talented musicians from Armenia and from our diasporan community in Moscow.”
The VAN Quartet’s music is based on traditional Armenian folk songs and original compositions. The group is led by pianist and vocalist Vahagn Hayrapetyan and features duduk player Emmanuel Hovhannisyan, percussionist Vardan Babayan, and bassist Makar Novikov. Hayrapetyan is one of leading figures in the Armenia’s jazz scene, and this group gives a jazz feel and modern harmony to Armenian folk melodies.
“The VAN Quartet blends traditional folk songs with original compositions, and their talent and range as musicians allows for the free-form improvisation and experimentation that makes jazz so exciting,” adds Sohigian. “This concert was recorded live this month exclusively for the Armenian Museum and is only available here online. We’re excited about this collaboration which brings all corners of the Armenian world together around music.”
The link to this free concert will be available on the Museum’s Facebook page, YouTube Channel, and website www.ArmenianMuseum.org.
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