PRESS RELEASE
SGI-USA Culture of Peace
606 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Contact: Danny Hall
Tel: 310-260-8900
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
CULTURE OF PEACE DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER SERIES
SGI-USA HOSTS LECTURE ON REDISCOVERING THE SHARED CULTURAL HERITAGE OF
ARMENIANS AND TURKS THROUGH MUSIC
Concert Pianist Ayse Taspinar To Speak and Perform
You and your friends are invited to attend a lecture with cocert
pianist Ayse Taspinar. Her lecture will examine the shared cultural
heritage of Armenians and Turks. The lecture will take place on
Saturday May 15 at 4:00pm.
"The situation with Turkish and Turkish-Armenian composers between
ca. 1860 and the 1960s is a complex cultural mosaic that includes
indigenous musical traditions, European influence extending from
Venice to Paris, and the advent of Turkish nationalism that led to
Kemal Atatürk’s successful conversion of the failed Ottoman Empire
into a Republic in 1923." says Taspinar.
"By analyzing the works of Edgar Manas and D. Tchouhadjian, two
important Armenian composers, and Cemil Arif Bey, an important Turkish
composer who lived during Ottoman era, I will demonstrate how music
was an important part of developing a shared cultural identity between
Armenians and Turks. By so doing, I would like to take a modest step
forward in the direction of reconciliation and dialogue between
Armenia and Turkey in resolving conflicts."
`I am deeply moved by Ms. Taspinar’s efforts to use music to inspire
dialogue toward deeper understanding of common humanity and shared
cultural heritage.’ says series organizer Ian McIlraith. I am looking
forward to learning how she employs her musical talents to help
communicate and respond to the innermost feelings in people’s lives.’
The lecture will take place at the SGI-USA Culture of Peace Resource
Center, 606 Wilshire Blvd in Santa Monica. All lectures are free and
open to the public. A live webcast of the lecture will be streamed at
Soka Gakkai International-USA follows the Nichiren school of Mahayana
Buddhism and applies those principles to promote human happiness and
peace, culture and education. With headquarters in Santa Monica, it
has approximately 300,000 members in the United States.