The Armenian Weekly - Second Entry...

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Recent Articles from the Armenian Weekly... Connecticut Film Studio Rolls Camera for Cancer Cause Armenian Musician ‘Udi Yervant’ Returns to Diyarbakir Hamazkayin Meghry Ensemble Welcomes New Choreographer ANCA Desk: Leo Sarkisian Internship Molds Our Future Leaders Bohjalian to Discuss New Book, Historic Armenia Trip in NY and NJ on July 9 Search Armenian Weekly Connecticut Film Studio Rolls Camera for Cancer Cause For as long as I can remember I’ve been interested in acting. Growing up in an artistic family helped lead me in a direction towards the performing arts. My father, Matthew, was a locally famous jazz musician; my mother entered her share of beauty contests in her early adult life; and my sister, Mara, was a successful actress until her untimely passing from breast cancer in 2006. My father passed away last year from bladder cancer and I had a cancer scare of my own 10 months ago that, thankfully, turned out to be negative. Laurie Ferguson Photography A few years ago, while working as the editor of a newspaper, I learned of a young man by the name of Brian Smith who was a filmmaker and cancer survivor. Smith had created a company called Atlantian Films, an independent movie company in Connecticut that was run mostly by cancer survivors and caregivers. Smith, who also goes by the professional name Brian Spectre, had survived two close calls with death due to his aggressive stage-4... Read More »      • Email to a friend • Article Search • Armenian Musician ‘Udi Yervant’ Returns to Diyarbakir DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (A.W.)—Armenian musician Yervant Bostancı, who had left Diyarbakir for Istanbul in 1976 and had been living in the U.S. since 1993, moved back to his hometown last week. The musician/performer, known in Turkey as Udi Yervant, was greeted at the Diyarbakir Airport by a group of artist friends. Udi Yervant being greeted by friends upon his arrival in Diyarbakir. In an interview with the Armenian Weekly, Udi Yervant said he had left Diyarbakir for personal reasons, and eventually ended up in the United States. “I had fallen in love with a Kurdish woman, but under the circumstances of the day, marriage was not possible. My solution was leaving,” he said. “But I never got used to America. My heart stayed in Diyarbakir. The walls of my little music studio in the U.S. were covered with photographs of Diyarbakir and its famous musicians. In essence, even in America I was still living in Diyarbakir.” Udi Yervant returned to Diyarbakir for the first time in 2004,... Read More »      • Email to a friend • Article Search • Hamazkayin Meghry Ensemble Welcomes New Choreographer Established in 2011 under the auspices of the Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Association of Philadelphia, the Meghry Dance Ensemble has come a long way with a few young dancers and their vibrant love for Armenian dance. The Meghry Dance Ensemble The group first performed at the Lower Merion Public Library in August 2011, when they danced at the Multi-Cultural Fair. Now Meghry is 20-plus members strong, and is aiming to connect with the youth, help perpetuate our Armenian culture, strengthen our spirit, and preserve our music and dance. Over the past two years, Meghry members have performed on many local stages in the greater Philadelphia area. Just a few months ago, on April 5, they performed at the multi-cultural dance event at the University of the Sciences; at the Armenian Genocide Walk on April 27; and at the International House of Philadelphia Annual Gala on May 18. The Meghry Ensemble concluded the year with its annual hantess (concert) on June 1, at the St.... Read More »      • Email to a friend • Article Search • ANCA Desk: Leo Sarkisian Internship Molds Our Future Leaders On June 17, a handful of talented interns will arrive in Washington, D.C. for the summer of a lifetime. As they embark on the 2013 ANCA Leo Sarkisian Internship (LSI) program at the ANCA headquarters, they’ll see the capital’s sights and meet and learn from a variety of influential people. Two of them—Taleen Lachinian and Tamar Purut—are representing the ANCA Eastern Region from June 17 to Aug. 9. We couldn’t be happier to send two excited and ambitious young women to experience a mini boot camp in Hai Tahd. From phone banking for important Congressional issues, to discussions with grassroots leaders in our region and across the country, this internship is essentially a crash course in everything the ANCA does. They will visit Capitol Hill, meet elected officials, and learn how to convey the values and issues that represent Armenian Americans. In short: The LSI program molds our future leaders. Why am I telling you about this? Because the beginning of the LSI program every... Read More »      • Email to a friend • Article Search • Bohjalian to Discuss New Book, Historic Armenia Trip in NY and NJ on July 9 NEW YORK (A.W.)—From July 8-26, New York Times best-selling author Chris Bohjalian will be on tour to promote his latest novel, The Light in the Ruins. On Tuesday, July 9, Bohjalian will be at the AGBU Headquarters in New York, and later at the Hovnanian School in New Jersey, to discuss his book and his recent trip to Historic Armenia. ‘The Light in the Ruins’ comes out on July 9. “I am really looking forward to returning to the Hovnanian School in New Jersey and the AGBU in Manhattan,” Bohjalian told the Armenian Weekly. “Hamazkayin, the AGBU, and Hovnanian have been breathtakingly supportive of my work and I am grateful beyond words. And these events will be interesting because I will discussing both my new book, The Light in the Ruins, and my journey this spring to Historic Armenia.” Bohjalian’s first event of the day will be held at 1 p.m. at the AGBU on 55 East 59th Street, 7th Floor. At 7:30 p.m. that night, he will speak at the Hovnanian School on 817... Read More »      • Email to a friend • Article Search •