Sequenza21/The Contemporary Classical Music Weekly

Alan Hovhaness Museum Project Planned for Armenia

Ed Note: I received the following e-mail from the pianist Martin Berkofsky. It looks like a worthy project. JB

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Following the success of the 20th anniversary concert of Yerevan's Alan Hovhaness Chamber Orchestra (November 2004), there is an ambitious plan to build an Alan Hovhaness Museum here in Yerevan, Armenia -- land of Hovhaness's paternal ancestors. The city already has a magnificent Khachaturian museum. Hovhaness himself bequeathed scores to the State Museum of Literature and Art of Armenia when he visited us here in 1965.

In 1940 Hovhaness became organist at St. James Armenian Church in Watertown, Massachusetts, and began to thoroughly assimilate the spirit of Armenian liturgical music into his own works. Although this is well known with regard to his 1940s �Armenian period�, this influence never fully receded throughout the ensuing decades. The people of Yerevan have identified with this music and, as the recent concert success showed, revere him almost as one of their own.

This is a call to gather materials to send to Yerevan. The proposed museum will need photos, letters, concert programmes, posters, newspaper and magazine articles, CD recordings, LP recordings, concert recordings, scores, transcriptions of radio programmes, reminiscences -- in short, anything and everything possible having to do with Hovhaness.

In Armenia materials will be collected by Alexan Zakyan, the general manager of the "Alan Hovhaness" Chamber Orchestra and president of "Manana" Public Beneficial Organization. Contact: Alexan Zakyan/Co-ordinator, Hovhaness Museum Project/Halabian 11 /34/375038/Yerevan,Armenia
E-mail: mananapbo@netsys.am/Tel/Fax: + 374 1 39 54 67/Mobile: + 374 9 33 36 84

In the USA, materials will be collected by pianist and long-time Hovhaness champion Martin Berkofsky. Contact: Hovhaness Museum Project/The Cristofori Foundation/ Postbox 288/9206 Rogues Road/Casanova, Virginia, 20139-0288/USA
E-mail: crisfund@yahoo.com/Tel: +1-540-788-3356/Fax: +1-540-788-3358

Martin will pass materials to the Armenian Embassy in Washington to be sent on to Yerevan by secure diplomatic post. As some may be aware, Martin gave the first Armenian performance of Hovhaness's 'Lousadzak' in Yerevan in November 2004, as well as the world premiere of Hovhaness's Double Piano Concerto in Moscow earlier this year. He has been an ambassador for Hovhaness for over 30 years, previously working with the composer on the recordings of 'Concerto No.10', 'Khaldis' and 'Saturn'.

In Europe, Marco Shirodkar will collect materials to be sent on to Yerevan. Donations can be sent to: Hovhaness Museum Project/Postbox 16134/London/Great Britain/N12 7WB
E-mail: Museum@hovhaness.com/Fax: +44-870-458-1640

Marco administers the Hovhaness website www.hovhaness.com which is where museum progress reports will be posted.

posted by Jerry Bowles 1/23/2005