AGBU Milan Celebrates 140th Anniversary of Calouste Gulbenkian

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PRESS RELEASE

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

AGBU Milan Celebrates 140th Anniversary of Calouste Gulbenkian

AGBU’s Milan Chapter celebrated the 140th birthday of AGBU’s second
president, Calouste Gulbenkian, on March 19, 2010, at the Armenian House
of Milan. The Honorary Consul of the Republic of Armenia, Bedros
Kuchukian, attended the event.

The evening began with the anthems of the Republic of Armenia and of
AGBU, as well as a prayer by Father Aren, the parish’s spiritual leader.
Chapter chairwoman Gueguel Khatchadourian followed with a speech, in
both Armenian and Italian, about the admirable work former president
Gulbenkian achieved throughout his career.

Gulbenkian, an oil businessman and generous patron of the arts, lead
AGBU to invest substantially in the Armenian neighborhoods of Syria and
Lebanon during his leadership from 1930-1932, as well as planning and
organizing financial support to resettle Armenian refugees in both
countries. He endowed a philanthropic foundation, Calouste Gulbenkian
Foundation, in Lisbon, Portugal, which hosts a museum and supports art,
science, education and charity projects in Portugal and abroad.
Gulbenkian’s foundation also provides technical and financial support to
the Armenian Diaspora.

After the speech, Chapter members and other guests enjoyed a performance
by the Geigenbaum Quartet of the folk songs of Komitas, which were
arranged by S. Aslamazian. One of the musicians, Hrachya Galstian, has
been an AGBU scholarship recipient.

The second part of the evening was devoted to Father’s Day. The Chapter
secretary, Vera Asdourian, spoke about the origins of the holiday and
its importance in Italy. Tamar Mousayelian recited two poems by
Hovhannes Shiraz. And a newly formed Armenian dance group performed two
dances for the attendees. This was the debut performance by the group,
which was created several months earlier by former AGBU student and
dancer Araks Antanesian. Antanesian is now a member of the Milan
Chapter’s new executive committee.

Following the speeches and performances, Dikran Alexanian, the senior
chairman of AGBU Milan, was invited to cut a celebratory cake. The
evening continued with a lavish reception for all attendees to mix and
mingle.

Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU
preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
educational, cultural and humanitarian program, annually touching the
lives of some 400,000 Armenians around the world.

For more information about AGBU and its worldwide programs, please visit

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress