IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Gita Brown, 401-456-8465, gbrown@ric.edu
Laura Hart, 401-456-8977, lhart@ric.edu
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – On Wednesday, April 22, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the 1915 Armenian genocide, Rhode Island College’s Wednesday Masterworks Concerts, led by internationally renowned composer/pianist and RIC artist-in-residence Judith Lynn Stillman, will present “Armenia 100,” featuring the world premiere of Stillman’s When the Music Stopped. The premiere begins at 1 p.m. in Sapinsley Hall, with tickets at the door (suggested donation $10). A repeat performance will be held at 7:30 p.m.
“The Armenian genocide is a story that needs to be told,” said Stillman. “It has been described by some historians as the forgotten Holocaust that inspired Hitler.”
Stillman’s latest composition is based on Armenian text and poetry translated by Diana Der-Hovanessian. She described it as “a narrative that harkens back to the miracle of childhood and a simpler time, moves to the 1915 Armenian genocide and culminates with an uplifting perspective and the promise of the future.”
The premiere will be directed by Trinity Repertory Company Artistic Director Curt Columbus and will feature Armenian film and TV actor Armen Garo (The Departed, American Hustle and The Sopranos). The music will be sung by baritone Vago Ohanyan, accompanied by duduk player David Gevorkian and drummer Michael De Quattro. Visual artist Mher Khachatryan’s artwork will be featured in the presentation to reflect the arch of the storyline and music.
“When the Music Stopped is, in part, a synthesis of the diverse and extraordinary talents of these Armenian artists,” said Stillman. “Armen Garo’s compelling presence, Vago Ohanyan’s rich baritone voice and Mher Khachatryan’s deeply expressive paintings inspired the creation of this work.”
Stillman will also be joined by clarinetist and Professor of Music Ian Greitzer; violinist and Assistant Professor of Music Alexey Shabalin; and kemancha player David Ayriyan; with opening remarks by Chief Judge Haiganush Bedrosian, Rev. Fr. Shnork Souin and Rev. Fr. Gomidas Baghsarian.
“Remembering and reflecting on this devastating moment in history carries a powerful message: that we must not repeat the deplorable mistakes of the past,” said Stillman.
In an overview of the history of World War I and its aftermath, RIC Professor of Political Science Richard Weiner explained the impetus for the genocide: When the Ottoman Empire was defeated by the Russian Empire in the Battle of Sarikamish in January 1915, the defeat was blamed on Ottoman Armenian soldiers. Accused of treason, Armenian soldiers were disarmed, redeployed into forced labor camps and killed.
Subsequently, on April 24, 1915, an order was sent out by three political figures known as the “Three Pashas” via telegraph for the systematic extermination of Armenians, Weiner said. The “ethnic cleansing” was to be carried out by “special militias” formed by the pashas and was to take effect throughout the Ottoman Empire.
“Armenian males who had not been conscripted into the military, [as well as] civil leaders, intellectuals, doctors, businessmen and artists, were rounded up and killed, while women and children were deported – driven into the Syrian Desert – with little chance for survival. Many abducted or orphaned Armenian children were sold and raised as Turks. The genocide continued into 1917, leaving 1.5 million Ottoman Armenians – over half the population – dead,” said Weiner.
Established in 1854, Rhode Island College serves approximately 9,000 graduate and undergraduate students through its five schools: the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development, the School of Social Work, the School of Management and the School of Nursing. For more information, visit www.ric.edu.
