RENOWNED SOPRANO TO HEADLINE WEEKEND OF ARMENIAN COMMUNITY EVENTS

Fresno—On Saturday November 8, internationally renowned soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian will perform My Songs, My Heritage, a musical program featuring the works of Armenian composers Gomidas Vartabed, Markar Yekmalian, Alexander Arutiunian, Parsegh Ganatchian, and Serouj Kradjian. She will be accompanied by a string quartet, Coro Piccolo of the Fresno Community Chorus and the Fresno State Concert Choir directed by Anna Hamre. The event will take place at the Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church (2226 Ventura Street, Fresno) at 7:00 p.m. Admission is $30, which will be donated to the church. Tickets are available on-line, at the church office, Patrick’s Music, or through the Fresno Community Chorus. No tickets will be sold at the door. The performance is sponsored by the Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church and the Armenian Museum of Fresno.

“….brought virtually an entire-music aficionados to its feet…extraordinary for her wide emotional compass, all-out impassioned singing and tonal beauty…” - Opera News Born in Lebanon, Bayrakdarian moved with her family to Canada where she earned her degree with honors in Engineering Science from the University of Toronto. It was after landing first prize in the 2000 Operalia competition that her career turned to opera. Since then, the award winning soprano has delighted audiences in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Paris, London, and Salzburg. She is noted as much for her stage presence as virtuosity, and her lifelong love of Armenian choral music is very much part of her repertoire. Bayrakdarian’s vocals can be heard on the Grammy-winning soundtrack from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and in Atom Egoyan’s film Ararat. On Sunday November 9, the Youth Group of the Armenian Genocide Centennial—Fresno Committee will hold a Blood Drive and Coffee Hour at the Pilgrim Armenian Congregational Church (3673 N. First Street, Fresno) from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. A toy drive will also take place to benefit Armenian orphans. The event will also include dancing, a bounce house, food and drink, and music by DJ Diko Chekian. Admission is free.

The events are part of a series of activities promoted by the Armenian Genocide Centennial—Fresno Committee, which includes representatives from the religious, educational, social, and political organizations of the Central Valley. The group’s goals are to commemorate the 1.5 million martyrs who perished at the hands of the Ottoman Turkish Government; to educate others about the Armenian Genocide and historical injustice; and to inspire people to overcome adversity through the story of the survivors’ of the Armenian Genocide. The AGC—Fresno Committee is organizing and promoting numerous events in the coming year. For more information, visit the AGC—Fresno Committee’s website at www.agcfresno.org and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/agcfresno.

Bayrakdarian Event Contact: Varoujan at 559-224-1000, or 559-486-1141 Blood Drive Contact: Tamar at 559-349-5592, tamarkian@gmail.com

http://www.agcfresno.org/http://www.facebook.com/agcfresnomailto:tamarkian@gmail.com