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Florida Armenians Congratulate Arman Avedyan

Boca Raton, FL – On Sunday, July 23, Florida Armenians gathered at St. David Armenian Church to congratulate Sub-Deacon Arman Avedyan on his acceptance to Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory in Armenia. During this four-year program, Avedyan will train his voice and master the language of music, while embarking on new adventures and a new life in the homeland.

Like many of his friends in south Florida’s growing Armenian-American community, Avedyan started serving God and fellow parishioners at the age of 14. Beginning as an Acolyte on the altar under the guidance of Very Rev. Fr. Nareg Berberian, pastor of St. David Armenian Church, Avedyan began to develop and display his talents, delivering powerful and uplifting renditions of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Badark (Divine Liturgy).

Arman Avedyan (center-left) with family

“In January 2012, at my 20th Anniversary banquet in Mardigian Hall of St. David Armenian Church, Arman Avedyan sang “Nessun Dorma” which is an aria from the final act of Puccini’s opera Turandot, and is one of the best-known tenor arias in all opera,” stated Very Rev. Fr. Nareg Berberian. “It was then that I realized he would be a wonderful candidate for the Yerevan Conservatory. Since that time, all efforts to admit him to the conservatory have succeeded, and I am extremely pleased to see the fruition of all the many years of work in the Deacon’s Training Program at St. David Church have such an exciting result for him. I am very proud of his accomplishment and am confident he will work hard in continuing his education and nurturing his career at the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory in Armenia, and look forward to his success in the future,” stated Fr. Nareg.

Still early in his career, Arman Avedyan has already performed at Florida Atlantic University, Florida Suncoast Opera Guild, Lynn University and various Armenian-American community events throughout Florida. “Years of preliminary training, practice and performances have lead to the opportunity of a lifetime,” Avedyan told FLArmenians. “I cannot wait to begin my studies. This really is a dream come true,” Avedyan said.

Below is Arman Avedyan’s recital of “e lucevan le stelle” Tosca, Puccini, at Lynn University in Boca Raton.

Posted on July 25, 2012 | Image

Genocide Under the Ottoman Empire Discussed in Tampa

In April, the University of South Florida (USF) Libraries Holocaust and Genocide Studies Center welcomed historian Ronald Grigor Suny for its second Armenian Studies event in six months. Turnout was exceptional, with a standing-room-only crowd in attendance.

Suny explored a variety of historic justifications for and ramifications of the Armenian Genocide (1915-1923) as well as killing and deportations of Greeks, Arabs, Assyrians, and others, under the Ottoman Empire. He spoke of first-hand research conducted during numerous visits to Turkey over a 20-year period. During visits to Kurdistan, he spoke with Kurds regarding their historic memory of and, sometimes, participation in the Genocide, having been bribed and coerced by its orchestrators. Most importantly, Suny described a relationship between the marginalization of the Kurdish population in present-day Turkey and the denial of the Armenian Genocide, suggesting that if the Turkish government were to acknowledge the Genocide, removing the ‘national security’ implications it uses as justification now, it would remove a tenet of their justification for failing to grant Kurdistan autonomy.

The talk also related what Dr. Suny sees as hopeful steps, from large, unimpeded demonstrations taking place in Turkey, and his own Workshop for Armenian/Turkish Scholarship (WATS) collaborations, where Turkish and Armenian scholars come together to explore the essential truths of the Armenian Genocide.

“Dr. Suny explained in a highly convincing manner how the reluctance of the current Turkish government to admit to the Armenian genocide was linked to the current Turkish-Kurdish conflict in Eastern Anatolia,” said USF History Professor Kees Boterbloem. “He pointed out, encouragingly, that this denial, a standard adhered to by all of Turkey’s governments since the 1920s, may have had its day.”

The audience discussion that followed the talk raised interesting questions about France and Turkey and admission to the European Union, and an understanding of the difference between the official Turkish government line and the feelings of the Turkish populace.

The USF Libraries Holocaust and Genocide Studies Center wishes to express gratitude to the USF History Department and Golfo Alexopoulos for their sponsorship of this important event.

The Armenian Studies collection at the USF Tampa Library continues to grow, with the acquisition of materials in a wide range of languages. Please contact Merrell Dickey to learn how you can support this initiative: (813) 974-1654 or mdickey@usf.edu.

SOURCE: http://www.lib.usf.edu/donate-usf-library/uncategorized/genocide-under-the-ottoman-empire/?utm_campaign=suny&utm_medium=email&utm_source=&utm_content=finishreadingtextlink

Posted on May 13, 2012 | Image