News

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The Passing Of Our Founder And Chairman

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Haig Der Manuelian May 23, 1926 || December 1, 2016

Haig Der Manuelian May 23, 1926 || December 1, 2016

It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our Board Chairman and one of our Founders, Haig Der Manuelian. Haig passed away last evening surrounded by his family.

A Quote From Our President, Michele M. Kolligian:

"Today is a sad day for all of us at the Armenian Museum of America as we mourn the passing of our leader. Haig was a proud Armenian and man of strength who excelled in every aspect of his life. His devotion and passion for the betterment of the Armenian Museum was unwavering. He worked diligently, selflessly and with great integrity. A true visionary, Haig demonstrated a deep passion and dedication that made it possible for this institution to thrive and grow into the world-class Museum it is today. His commitment and perseverance were the driving force behind all of us to continue his legacy. I miss you already, Haig. You were my mentor and dear friend; I am honored to have been given your blessing and confidence to help carry the torch that you so brilliantly lit."

We will be providing a full obituary and funeral arrangements once they are made available. The Board of Trustees and Staff of the Armenian Museum of America wish to convey our sincere condolences to Haig's wife Adele, his four sons, Mark, Matthew, Michael, Martin and their families, along with his friends, clients and coworkers that he leaves behind.

Winners Announced for Museum Sports Raffle Drawing

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The Armenian Museum of America concluded its 11th annual Sports Raffle fundraiser with a massive milestone. Raising more than $47,000 this year, the Sports Raffle has now raised more than $500,000 total since its beginning in 2005.

Proceeds from the fundraiser enable the Museum to continue educating and engaging with the community in offering free programs, events, and exhibitions showcasing Armenian culture, people and history, to the public.

This year’s Final Inning Party, held on July 19 in the Adele and Haig Der Manuelian Galleries in the Museum, brought friends and donors of the Museum together to celebrate with a Fenway-style menu of hotdogs, pizza, snacks and beverages befitting baseball.

Each year, the Museum invites a special sports celebrity to draw the winning tickets for the raffle, and this year, the Director of Football & Head Coach Administration for Bill Belechick and the New England Patriots, Berj Najarian, was drawing the lucky winners.

Winning prizes included the Grand Prize 22-seat Fenway Park Luxury Box, as well as 9 other sets of tickets to see the Patriots, the Bruins, the Celtics, and more Red Sox games. This year, a separate drawing was also available to win an NFL football signed by Tom Brady and Randy Moss.

In an amusing turn of events at the end of the drawing, newly-elected ALMA Board President, Michele Kolligian, won the Grand Prize Fenway Box. Before the party was over, Kolligian had decided to donate the Grand Prize tickets to a children’s charity in order to give children, who may not otherwise have the opportunity, a chance to attend a game at Fenway. See the full list of winners below:

  • 1st Prize: Michele Kolligian (donating to charity)
  • 2nd Prize: Michael Heath
  • 3rd Prize: Stepan & Christine Kanarian
  • 4th Prize: Andrea Berberian
  • 5th Prize: Ken & Diane Samuelian
  • 6th Prize: Byron Hartunian
  • 7th Prize: Daron Merian
  • 8th Prize: Krikor Sabounjian
  • 9th Prize: Gerald Boghosian
  • 10th Prize: Krikor Sabounjian
  • Signed Football: David Aykanian

The Armenian Museum extends its sincere gratitude to all those who bought tickets, our donors, trustees, and everyone who has worked to make the Sports Raffle fundraiser such a huge success.

Congratulations again to all of the winners!

November 1 Concert a Hit at the Armenian Museum

The Adele & Haig Der Manuelian Galleries of the Armenian Museum of America were filled to capacity this past Sunday afternoon for the premiere performance of The Bostonians in a concert titled "Popular Songs by Armenian Composers." The performance was the second in a series jointly sponsored by the Armenian Museum, the Composer's Union of Armenia and the Amaras Art Alliance, and funded by the Dadourian Foundation.

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The standing-room-only audience was treated to the vocal talents of soprano, Nouné Karapetian; mezzo-soprano, Roselin Osser; tenor, Michael Calmés; and baritone, Philip Lima, along with dazzling accompaniment on piano by William Merrill.

The wide variety of music moved from perfectly synchronous quartets to a number of solos from each artist, with highlights including a heartfelt rendition of Im Yerevan (Vagharshag Kotoyan) from Calmés, along with more humorous pieces like Hor-Hor's Cuplets (Tigran Chukhadjian) from Lima, and a playful duet of Yot Kuyrer (Aram Satunts) from Karapetian and Osser.

Each song, performed in Armenian, was made even more impressive as, with the exception of Karapetian, who is of Armenian descent, none of the other artits speak the language. Osser, Calmés and Lima all learned the texts of the pieces phonetically in order to sing their respective roles so convincingly in Armenian, and they were all awarded an honorary "-ian" in their names at the conclusion of the performance by Armenian Museum Director, Berj Chekijian. The audience participated enthusiastically in the encore song, Kenats Yerg (Aram Meranglooyan), which was met by a resounding standing ovation. Audience members had the opportunity to meet with the performers at a reception following the concert.

Konstantin Petrossian, co-chairman of the Foreign Department of the Composer's Union of Armenia, a composer, pianist and conductor, served as the artistic director for the performance.

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