Children's Choirs in Armenia‏

This email is to introduce you to a fund, the Atken Armenian Fund (AAF),
seeking your support. If you would like to learn more, you are invited to an
evening gathering in the Armenian House, 25 Cheniston Gardens,
Kensington on 10 July to meet two board members who are his
children.

Some of you will remember Atken from his student days in London. After
many years in Canada, he repatriated to Armenia where he served as an
educator in universities and in Gyumri until his untimely passing away.
During this time, he worked on many humanitarian projects in Armenia, and
there are countless students today who were able to continue their studies
because he paid their fees. To quote from one who knew him,
he “combined music and social activism” and “touched many lives quite
profoundly. I can speak at least for myself by saying he has always inspired
me by his passion, his love of life, his rectitude, and most of all his REAL
dedication to his ideals and principles. He was one of very rare individuals
who pursued his beliefs unconditionally, without expecting anything in return.
Where others profess their ideals with talk, he showed the way and set a
true example of how sincere commitment should be.”


The AAF was started in his memory to continue his mission by supporting
children’s choirs in deprived parts of Armenia. The target is underprivileged
children in areas where there are no serious music programs to bring new
and positive interest into their lives.

This commenced with a partnership with the international SOS Kinderdorf
Kindergarten serving the Kotayk villages of Nor Kyugh, Agunk and the large
Kinderdorf orphanage itself, about 35 kms from Yerevan. The choir built up
rapidly to 75 members between 6 and 13 years old (see attached photo),
led by one of the foremost choir conductors in the country. They participated
in their first major public concert in Chamber Music Hall in Yerevan. This
included singing three voice harmony pieces at the concert whereas at the
beginning they could not handle three different parts at the same time.

The improvement of music education and the discovery of exceptional
musical talent in the regions of Armenia will continue. Two new young
conductors are to be trained to expand the current program (one of which
worked at the Armenian Philanthropic School in Calcutta and was
recommended by the Yerevan Conservatory Choir Conducting professor).
Two new choirs in Yegheknatsor based around the cultural centre are to be
taken on. One is a youth choir and the second a small group of 10 children
called the Ourakh Ghoghanjner (Happy Chimes). They will be developed
complete with outfits to eventually tour the regions of Goris, Kapan and
Meghri.

All this requires external funding support and we hope that you will like this
project enough to give us just that.


More on the AAF
This is a registered Canadian charity
(Business number 85116 2461 RR0001) run on the same qualities dear
to Atken:

Straightforward and Efficient:
All funds collected are spent for the benefit of the children; there are no
administrative costs. The program is monitored locally by persons who
knew what Atken stood for. The fund has to adhere to Canadian
accounting standards.

Professional and Far Reaching:
Hiring professional choir masters provides quality musical education to
whole communities.

Pinpoint and Act:
Locations are chosen carefully to ensure that the project reaches to new
areas, recruiting local volunteers and schools to help realise the project
for their children.

Result Oriented:
Thanks to certain board members who are themselves professional
musicians, musical quality and success is monitored. These professionals
are Raffi Armenian OC (Director of the Montreal Conservatory) , Agnes
Grossman (international conductor, previously with the Vienna Boy's Choir)
and Levon Chilingirian OBE (founder of the Chilingirian Quartet).

See the attached launch leaflet for further details.

The charity details are:
Fondation Atken Armenian Foundation
2110 Harbour, Laval, Quebec,
Canada H7T 2M5

Phone: 450 978 2567 E-mail: INFOAAF@YAHOO.CA

For those who wish to donate directly, the banking details are
(please note that Canadian laws stipulate that the address of the charity
must be provided to the sending bank)
Institution code: 002
Transit: 80051
Account Number: 800510120111
Swift: Nosccatt
Bank name & Address:
Scotiabank
7885 Decarie Blvd.
Montreal, Quebec
Canada, H4P 2H2
(514) 731-6032


Finally

For those who knew Atken, paste the following link for a short clip of his
ashes spread in their final resting place, the gorge behind Saghmosavank
(the Speghani choir in the clip is one he funded):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAWDscbU4VM

Armenian Magagan Yerkjakhoump.jpg