Screening of “The River Ran Red”
On Wednesday, April 7th at 7:30pm in the Babayan ballroom of the Alex Manoogian Cultural Centre, AGBU Toronto was proud to present the Toronto premiere of The River Ran Red, the final film of documentarian of Dr. J. Michael Hagopian’s trilogy “The Witnesses”. Over 200 people were present for the screening.
After a silent prayer in memory of the innocent victims of the 95th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, AGBU Toronto Board Member, Dr. Isa Basmajian introduced Dr. Hagopian who was present to discuss the film. Dr. Hagopian holds a doctorate in International Relations from Harvard University and an undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley. He has made it his life’s work to document what happened during the genocide, and is a pioneer of efforts to document the Armenian genocide through films such as Voices From the Lake and the Forgotten Genocide.
The River Ran Red is the Epic Search for Survivors of the Armenian Genocide of 1915. It documents eyewitness accounts from survivors of the Genocide who were sent to their fate along the Euphrates River to the Syrian Desert and Der Zor. The screening of The River Ran Red was followed by a question and answer period. Dr. Hagopian had copies of his movie on hand for sale and noted that they can also be purchased on his website, www.armenianfilm.org.
Let us remember that Dr. Hagopian’s films and the eye witness accounts they document are very important because they help transmit first hand accounts of the genocide that would otherwise be lost in time. Thanks to films like The River Ran Red, information about the collective Armenian past is transmitted to future generations.
Armenian Courses for Adults
Armenian courses for beginners are being held at the AGBU Centre in Toronto since February 2010. Students over 18 years old get together once a week and learn from a highly qualified teacher, Mrs. Rosa Ter Haroutunian.
“All participants, who share a common desire to learn written and spoken Armenian, get together for just 1 hour every week… we learn techniques such as gradual introduction and practice with the new alphabet, listening to music, learning lyrics, conversation, discussions, and also having fun. All these help us in new language acquisition and, judging from the first few weeks of this winter session, it is obvious that all students are fully committed to attending classes and making this a very meaningful and lasting experience.”
Jolanta
“Having not read or written Armenian since Armenian Summer School and Armenian Saturday School which was 27 years ago, the Armenian lessons at AGBU have been very beneficial to me thanks to the knowledge and teaching skills of Rosa Ter Haroutunian.”
Armen Onnig
Book Launching: Children of Armenia by Michael Bobelian
AGBU’s Toronto chapter and The National Association for Armenian Studies and Research were proud to welcome Michael Bobelian, journalist, attorney and grandson of Genocide survivors at the Alex Manoogian Cultural Center on Friday, November 13th.
Mr. Bobelian gave a talk titled “Children of Armenia: A Forgotten Genocide and the Century-Long Struggle for Justice” that detailed the social and political reasons for which the Armenian Genocide has long faded from public consciousness.
Having conducted years of archival research and personal interviews, Bobelian’s presentation was both captivating and informative. A reception, question and answer period and book signing followed the lecture. Attendees greatly appreciated the insights Bobelian provided; the event was a success!
AGBU Toronto Bazaar & Food Fair
On Sunday, November 15th, Armenians from the GTA area gathered in the the Babayan ballroom of the Alex Manoogian Cultural Centre for AGBU Toronto’s annual bazaar and food fair. This event consistently draws a
large number of community members as it is a rare opportunity to taste and purchase delicious, authentic Armenian food. This year, the ballroom was filled to capacity and the hall was beautifully decorated within a Christmas theme.
Among the many savory items available at the food fair were a variety of homemade dishes including herise, kebab, koftas, sarma, itch, etc. Other featured food items included a selection of Middle Eastern salads and desserts. In addition to all the wonderful food, many vendors were also on site selling culturally relevant merchandise.
In order to ensure that the event proceeded smoothly, volunteers were on hand to help with the preparation and organization of the event.
AGBU thanks them for graciously contributing their time and help. It is with the help of our members and friends that AGBU’s bazaar has become a popular family event where people come to see their old friends and taste delicious Armenian food. We hope that you will join us at next year’s bazaar for great food and fun!
Yerazart Concert
On Wednesday, October 14th 2009, a group of young musicians from Armenia enchanted the crowd at the Alex Manoogian Cultural Centre of AGBU’s Toronto chapter. The six talented youth that performed had been chosen from a roster of 490 young artists who compete yearly in Armenia for the opportunity to participate in Western concert tours, an opportunity made possible in coordination with Yerazart, a Boston-based, non-profit organization. Founded in 2004 by Noubar Afeyan and Raffi Festekjian, Yerazart aims to assist talented young Armenian musicians in various aspects of their professional development.
Under the artistic direction of Arman Padaryan, these talented Armenian musicians put on a show that was indeed very impressive. Several pieces moved members of the audience to tears: among them, a haunting duduk melody performed by Norayr Gapoyan (“Ashkharums agh chim kashi” composed by Sayat Nova) and a heavenly vocal rendition of “Garun a” (composed by Komitas) delivered by Mane Galoyan with Hripsime Aghakaryan accompanying on piano.
The diversity of the pieces chosen demonstrated both the musicians’ breadth as artists and their mastery of the instruments. Baghdasaryan’s “Rhapsody Polonaise”, a highly technical piece, was played with finesse and fervor by violinist Hrayr Karapetyan. In addition, Hripsime Aghakaryan’s performance of Babadjanian’s “Capriccio” on piano bared witness to the young woman’s excellent musicianship and elegant phrasing.
Numbers in the second act included oboist Mane Harutyunyan’s charming performance of Colin’s “Concert” and cellist Hayk Sukiasyan’s rendition of Harutyunyan’s “Exprompt”, an adventure of a piece during which Sukiasyan moved swiftly and gracefully from fast-paced, dramatic passages to more mournful ones. The last act brought all 6 of the Yerazart musicians together to perform as a sextet, for which the youth received a standing ovation. The evening was truly a culturally enriching experience enjoyed by all who attended.
A thank you letter from Yeraz Art can be viewed by clicking here.