Author: Badalian Vardan

PRESS RELEASE
The Paros Foundation
918 Parker Street, Suite A14
Berkeley, CA 94710
Contact: Peter Abajian
Tel: (310) 400-9061
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

MANANA YOUTH CENTER WINS MAJOR UNITED NATIONS DEMOCRACY FUND GRANT IN 2013
Multimedia Education Program Expands Countrywide

YEREVAN, ARMENIA–The Manana Youth Center won a major two-year grant from
the United Nation’s Democracy Fund, which enables the Manana Youth Center
to conduct a dozens of weeklong multimedia workshops for children
throughout Armenia.

“We have been working towards the goal of enabling all of country’s young
people to benefit from our proven educational programs.” Said Ruzan
Baghdasaryan, Executive Director of the Manana Youth Center. “Our
workshops will introduce basic skills in the areas of journalism,
photojournalism and filmmaking.”

Participants, under the supervision of our expert instructors, produced
films, shot photos and conducted interviews. An exhibition and film
screening was held in Gyumri in the fall to feature Manana student’s works
from the various regions. In 2014, these workshops will continue and a
curated final exhibition will be held in Yerevan.

In August, Manana Youth Center organized a crowd funding campaign on
Indiegogo and raised $5,000 for *Sand Animals*. The students of the Manana
Animation Studio are currently implementing this animation project.

“This is the seventh year The Paros Foundation is providing support to the
Manana Youth Center in the form of a grant for operational funding and
quality program and office space. Said Peter Abajian, Executive Director
of The Paros Foundation. “It is inspiring that the Manana team has
attracted prestigious funding for their training and the development of
specific creative projects. Providing these opportunities for Armenia’s
children encourages a young persons curiosity and his or her ability to
express themselves.”

Other 2013 milestones included the presentation of two feature film
documentaries at the Golden Apricot International Film Festival by Manana
Films, the film production division of Manana Youth Center.

*The Beginnings*, a co-production documentary with Turkey, directed by
Somnur Vardar, and *Hit The Road: India* – a travel adventure documentary,
recognized later as an amazing adventure film of 2013 by Vimeo and Vanity
Fair Italy were both well received by audiences. *Hit The Road: India* is
now being successfully distributed via major digital platforms and will be
broadcasted by several TV channels in 2014. The Manana film *Everyone, who
will meet me*, won the Highlight Award at Young Filmmaker International
Festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The Manana Youth Center is located in Yerevan, Armenia and provides
multimedia training and afterschool education to 75 students ages 8 to 18
in the areas of filmmaking, journalism, photography and animation. Children
engage in these hands-on activities, but most importantly, the skills they
learn greatly improve their critical thinking.

In 2014 funding is needed to upgrade their equipment and to expand the
program for an additional 20 children. The Manana Youth Center depends on
support from the community and donors to meet its important mission. To
get involved please contact Peter Abajian (310) 400-9061; and, to
contribute please visit Support from The Paros
Foundation underwrites all administrative expenses allowing donor
contributions to be allocated directly to Manana’s student programs.

###

—
Warmest regards,
Peter J. Abajian
Executive Director
Paros Foundation
(093) 99-80-99 From US dial 011-374-93-99-80-99
US Cell (310) 400-9061
[email protected]

Be sure to visit our website at

TURKEY, GERMANY CALL FOR TALKS ON NEW CHAPTERS

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Feb 3 2014

3 February 2014 /Ä°STANBUL, TODAY’S ZAMAN

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and his German counterpart,
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, both stressed on Monday the need to open
talks on the EU accession chapters related to rights and freedoms, as
well as justice and security, saying that for Turkey to get over the
turbulence of recent developments that have shaken Turkey’s political
stability, talks on new chapters will be of crucial importance.

Speaking during a joint press conference after a bilateral meeting
with Steinmeier in Berlin, Davutoglu noted that if the EU wants to
be included in Turkey’s judiciary reforms and desires that Turkey’s
judicial reforms continue in line with EU standards, Chapters 23 and
24, which cover issues related to the judiciary, fundamental rights,
freedom and security, need to be opened. His remarks came amid EU
officials’ increasing concerns about the independence of the judiciary
in Turkey in the wake of the government corruption scandal that became
public on Dec. 17.

Steinmeier expressed Germany’s support for Turkey’s EU bid at the
conference. He said it is important to keep the EU’s door open to
Turkey following the corruption scandal and that he’s advocating for
the opening of two new components of the membership talks. He stressed
the need for the opening of the sections of Turkey’s membership
negotiations that address justice and human rights.

Though welcoming the opening of the talks on those two chapters, Ankara
is pressing the EU for further progress in the accession process by
also giving the green light for the opening of talks on additional
chapters. Turkey hopes for the opening of as many chapters as possible
because there are still 21 chapters that are as yet unopened.

Davutoglu and Steinmeier’s remarks came just ahead of Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s two-day visit to Germany, beginning on Monday.

The visit is part of a flurry of activity to keep up the momentum
between Turkey and the EU that recently increased with the opening
of Chapter 22 on regional policy and coordination of structural
instruments and the newly signed agreements with the EU on visa
liberalization and readmission. Meetings with EU officials and visits
to EU countries have intensified considerably in recent weeks.

Davutoglu also underlined that Turkey is confident that Germany’s
role will boost Turkey-EU relations. “We believe that Germany’s
encouragement on this issue [Turkey’s accession process] will set off
a big reaction in Europe,” he said, underlining that Turkey expects
to proceed to a new phase in relations with the EU.

Bilateral relations between Turkey and Germany, Turkey’s bid to join
the union and the recent political unrest in Turkey are likely to
form the agenda of the meetings that Erdogan is expected to hold with
German officials that include Social Democratic Party (SPD) Chairman
Sigmar Gabriel and Steinmeier as well as Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Erdogan is likely to seek the support of German officials for Turkey’s
bid to become a full member of the EU.

However, although Turkey has been trying to refresh its relationship
with the EU, it has recently deteriorated following the exposure of
a corruption investigation and then was further damaged by a draft
bill to restructure the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors
(HSYK). EU officials quickly expressed their uneasiness with the
government’s handling of recent developments and issued a number of
statements sharply criticizing the Turkish government. One of the
harshest remarks came from the German foreign minister, who signaled
in mid-January that Turkey’s negotiation process is at risk. He warned
Ankara to revise its stance on recent events or Turkey’s membership
negotiations with the EU may need to be suspended.

At the press conference, Davutoglu alluded to Steinmeier’s remarks,
saying that the two can discuss their opinions on the internal
developments of both countries openly and reciprocally.

While Erdogan was preparing to leave for Berlin, Germany’s Christian
Democratic Union (CDU) deputy Erika Steinbach said Erdogan should
apologize to Armenians for the events of 1915. According reports in
Turkish media citing a report of the German daily Bild, Steinbach
called on Erdogan not to deny the genocide committed against Armenians
and Assyrians by the Young Turk government of the Ottoman Empire.

ARMENIAN DIASPORA: DISCOVERING ANATOLIA IN LOS ANGELES

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Feb 3 2014

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Living in the diaspora and dealing with emotions of disconnect
and longing are very difficult to grasp for those who have never
lived away from their homes, wherever that ‘home’ may be. Whether
voluntary or forceful, physical separation from one’s homeland is a
major trauma that can morph into a perennial emotional longing. It
might go unnoticed or can be repressed in some cases but this psyche
reverberates a narrative of an imagined homeland noticeably amongst
collectives that were exiled or survived massive traumas. The diaspora
Armenians are prone to this nostalgic collective psyche pertaining to
the massive human resources and economic losses during the collapse
of the Ottoman Empire and after the fall of the Soviet Union.

There is plenty of discussion on the Armenian diaspora in Turkey, but
the lack of first hand experience is impeding potential interactions
with the diaspora. This is because of the misrepresentations and
miscommunication between Turkey and the diaspora. In Turkey the
dominant connotation linked to the Armenian diaspora is ‘radical’.

After a month in the field I hoped to assess the relevancy of this
prevailing perception and the intricate relationship between the
Turkish and the Armenian diaspora identity.

Perhaps the most significant challenges between Turks and diaspora
Armenians -other than both being trapped in conventional large-group
prejudices- have been the lack of interaction, dialogue and
communication. Although I had previous connections, my most distinct
encounter with the diaspora in their Southern California heartland,
the city of Glendale, was a step that epitomized my own fears. At
the same time it was a major confrontation of my expectations of
the diaspora. I had a certain image of what could be dubbed as
‘Little Armenia’ that I gathered from secondary resources such as
news articles, books, journals and other publications. After all, as
a former resident of the greater Los Angeles area I thought Glendale
would not be safe for Turks and that I should not be there perhaps
stemming from my own biases. More importantly, the now faded wave
of violence towards Turks, diplomats and civilians alike, was in the
back of my mind generating a certain typology of the diaspora. I was
soon to realize that my biases were not well grounded. In fact, my
month-long experience meeting with the diaspora Armenians was very
inspiring. Stepping foot in Glendale, was almost as if I was in an
Americanized Anatolian city, not too different than what I’m used
to seeing in Turkey. Kabob restaurants, coffee shops, small stores
and the Americana mall right on the Grand Avenue. The vivid image of
men playing backgammon, drinking coffee and women rushing from one
store to another shopping for the holidays reminded me of ‘home’. It
also resembled Chaussée de Haecht in Brussels where roughly every
other person on the street is of Turkish origin. I felt I fit in just
perfectly. The truth is my anxieties were relieved following my first
encounter in the all-Armenian Glendale. Surprisingly, even the thought
of visiting Turkey triggered similar fears amongst some diasporans.

Perhaps, a courageous first interaction is all it takes as I assured
my diasporan friends.

I asked myself ‘where is home’ for the, what is it like living in the
diaspora, where did they belong? I was able to meet diverse groups of
diaspora Armenians and listen to their stories. To my surprise, there
was a symbolic presence of Anatolia in Southern California through the
descendants of Adana, MaraÅ~_, Kayseri, MuÅ~_, Diyarbakır, Antep,
Elazıg and many more towns. Amongst those originally from these
towns, very few have ever paid a visit but this didn’t change the
fact that majority did have a strong emotional bond, an emotional
belonging that is not easy to describe. There was an imaginative,
pastoral description of the homeland transmitted from one generation
to the next one coupled with the enduring effect of loss and being
lost in the third space. It was not a strong longing but rather was
a reminiscence of the past particularly for those who seemed to be
politically more active. Perhaps the third space was represented in a
‘refugee mentality’.

It is unfair to take a holistic approach in defining the Armenian
diaspora; the community is not a monolithic entity. Indeed, there are
political and social diversities within the Armenian community in the
greater Los Angeles area. Yet, the feeling of injustice, nostalgia,
the traumatic past and the inability to form a certain belonging are
collective identity markers overarching diversities. Some diaspora
Armenians defined what they called a ‘compulsory exile’, as if they
still have their suitcases packed, almost ready to go back either
to their ancient homes or to the Republic of Armenia. This feeling,
together with the perception of an unresponsive approach of Turkey
towards their pain up until very recently has been containing
the diaspora in a space of nostalgia, even in a constant state
of mourning. It is a predicament that while the past should be
commemorated dwelling in the past and the symbolic preoccupation
with Turkey hampers diaspora’s efforts to construct a viable future
for the diasporan identity, but on the other hand it is a bond for
the identity that has a core narrative of victimization. On one hand,
it is up to the diaspora to find a constructive way out of this state
but also equally up to Turkey to relieve the diaspora of this pain
through groundbreaking initiatives.

Besides this feeling of being lost, identifying the existence of
the symbolic ‘Turk’ in the collective identity is puzzling. Even
for those who have not actually met a Turk before there is still a
certain perception. However, this is not a genuine interaction. During
one of my meetings a young diasporan said: ‘I was hesitant to join
this meeting and normally I have negative sentiments against Turks,
but you are cool and this conversation is going well’. Another said
she felt she is being heard. The views expressed by these diasporans
were very similar to my own self-fulfilling judgments and positive
experience that came afterwards meeting with the unknown territory of
the diaspora. Another diaporan said ‘I wouldn’t expect to have such
a nice conversation with a Turk, ever!’. This perhaps signified a
predicament of getting to know the ‘other’. Likewise, such an anxiety
of tackling an unknown space is present in the Turkish society. It
is somewhat due to the alienation from the past, and with that both
Turks and the diasporans are caught in the mechanism of hegemonic
narratives hindering dialogue efforts. To be precise, majority of
Turks are strangled in a one-sided history assessment and lack of
empathy while majority of diaspora Armenians seem to be preoccupied
with a sense of socio-political victimization and the overwhelming
power of certain political groups.

Nevertheless, through a first step of interaction Turks and the
diaspora will be able to recognize that neither is ‘dreadful’ and
can work on trust issues. As a result, the current alienation might
diminish and both Turks and the diaspora can rediscover their ‘home’.

As the alienation perishes Turks and the diasporans are more likely to
see one another from a healthier perspective that stems from personal
and societal experiences. Both the diaspora and Turkey are actually
going through major shifts in their approach towards one another, yet
neither society is fully aware of this changing dynamic. Regrettably,
the lack of communication is hindering the ability to see this
perspective thoroughly.

One of the biggest mistakes in assessing the diaspora is taking a
holistic approach and observing the society through the more strident
narratives and publications. Likewise, it seems like the diaspora
too will have a difficult time in making their point as long as the
dominant narrative is produced by strident political movements.

*Senem Cevik is Assistant Professor at Ankara University. This article
is based on the author’s field research in Los Angeles, U.S.A.

February/03/2014

HERITAGE PARLIAMENTARY FACTION APPOINTS NEW LEADER

13:57 * 03.02.14

The speaker of Armenia’s National Assembly has announced the name of
the opposition Heritage faction’s new leader.

Addressing the parliament on Monday, Hovik Abrahamyan said the Heritage
lawmakers made a decision to appoint Rubik Hakobyan their leader in
a recent meeting.

Tevan Poghosyan, another Heritage lawmaker who recently announced of
his intention to suspend his mandate and later decided to call it back,
will be Heritage’s secretary in parliament.

Armenian News – Tert.am

ARMENIAN OPPOSITION MP SLAMS VOROTAN CASCADE DEAL

13:35 * 03.02.14

An Armenian opposition lawmaker has criticized the government’s recent
deal to sell the Yerevan Cascade Hydro plant to a US company.

Speaking at the National Assembly on Thursday, Levon Zurabyan of the
opposition Armenian Congress said he finds the deal a violation of
the privatization law. He said the Government sold the hydroelectric
power plant to the US power company ContourGlobal without putting
the issue on the parliament’s agenda.

“We know the Government signed a deal with US firms by directly selling
the property to those companies. Well, we don’t see any problem about
a sales deal with US companies; the problem for us is that the law is
being violated. The law clearly says that only movable property can
be sold without any approval of the program. But the entire property
has been sold here in violation of the law,” he added.

Addressing Hovik Abrahamyan, the National Assembly’s speaker, Zurabyan
asked him if he doesn’t find such a position bad for the parliament’s
reputation.

Abrahamyan said he doesn’t share the opposition MP’s position, asking
him to avoid linking private affairs with the National Assembly’s
image, role or reputation. He promised to address the issue in case
the alleged violations of the privatization law prove true.

ARMENIAN PEACEKEEPERS PARTICIPATE IN MULTINATIONAL EXERCISE IN GERMANY

13:58 03.02.2014

>From January 13 to February 2 a 75-member peacekeeping subdivisions of
the Armenian Armed Forces participated in the recurrent multinational
military exercises at the training center of US Armed Forces in
Germany organized within the framework of the “Kosovo Forces” program.

Participating in the drills were also peacekeeping subdivisions
from the US, Germany, Romania, Portugal, Slovenia, Albania and other
countries.

Armenian peacekeepers have been participating in the Kosovo mission
since 2004 under the Greek and American command.

TERRORISME. POUR ISRAEL, LA TURQUIE HEBERGE DES CAMPS D’AL QAIDA

TURQUIE

Selon le chef des renseignements israëliens, des djihadistes d’Al
Qaïda ont etabli des camps en Turquie.

Certains djihadistes d’Al Qaïda qui combattent le regime de Bachar
al Assad en Syrie ont etabli des camps en Turquie, d’où ils peuvent
facilement se rendre en Europe, a declare mercredi le chef des
renseignements militaires israeliens.

Presentant pendant une conference sur la securite a Tel Aviv une
carte du Proche-Orient, le general Aviv Kochavi a explique que des
combattants se reclamant d’Al Qaïda entraient chaque semaine en Syrie
mais que tous “n’y restent pas”.

Le militaire israelien n’a fourni aucun chiffre a l’appui de ses
declarations. Sa porte-parole a precise que la carte donnait une
indication de la taille et de l’emplacement des camps, qui semblaient
se situer dans les provinces de Karaman, Osmaniye et Sanliurfa. Pas
de commentaire du gouvernement turque

La taille des points sur la carte pour signaler la presence d’Al Qaïda
en Turquie est moitie moindre que celle qui marque le Sinaï egyptien,
qui abriterait environ 200 djihadistes selon l’armee israelienne.

Le Premier ministre turc, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, dont le gouvernement
soutient ouvertement l’Armee syrienne libre (ASL), la branche la plus
moderee de la rebellion, a regulièrement dementi heberger des groupes
lies a Al Qaïda.

“La Syrie projette son conflit dans toute la region”, a neanmoins
assure le general Kochavi. “Ces points en Turquie n’ont pas ete mis la
par erreur par l’auteur de la carte et, de la, la route vers l’Europe
est courte”, a-t-il ajoute.

Le ministère turc des Affaires etrangères n’a pas fait de commentaire.

lundi 3 fevrier 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

The New York Times
January 30, 2014 Thursday

Love and Hatred in Kiev

By YURI ANDRUKHOVYCH

KIEV, Ukraine — It has been severely cold here lately, with
temperatures dipping below freezing night after night. What sustains
the protesters at Independence Square in weather this bleak can only
come from inside: an exceptionally hot mix of despair, hope,
self-sacrifice and hatred.

Yes, hatred. Morality does not forbid hating murderers. Especially if
the murderers are in power or in direct service of those in power —
with batons, tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets, and, starting
Jan. 22, live ammunition.

That day, the news came about the first two protesters to be shot and
killed by the police since the protests began in November. One of
them, Serhiy Nihoyan, a 20-year-old Ukrainian of Armenian heritage,
dreamed of becoming an actor. The other, Mikhail Zhiznevsky, a citizen
of Belarus, was also young, just 25 years old. An ethnic Armenian and
a Belarusian, giving their lives for the freedom of Ukrainians — this
gives the lie to the fears, held by some in the West, that the
democracy movement here is being hijacked by Ukrainian nationalists.

If anyone is promoting hatred it is the government. My friend Josef
Zissels, chairman of the Association of Jewish Organizations and
Communities of Ukraine, and vice president of the World Jewish
Congress, wrote a few days ago that the website of Berkut, the special
police force (and a final line of defense for the powers that be) had
been ”flooded with anti-Semitic materials that allege that the Jews
are to blame for organizing at Maidan,” the central square, which has
become synonymous with the protests.

Mr. Zissels wrote: ”This is completely absurd, but those who are
armed with batons and shields, now facing the protesters, believe
this. They are brainwashed into believing that the Maidan is a Jewish
project, and thus there is no need to take pity on anyone — you can
beat them all.”

Beat them all. The police have beaten women and children, and even
priests trying to intervene to stop the bloodshed. Berkut not only
beats; it maims, tortures and kills. Its members like to pounce on
individuals who have gotten separated from the crowd of protesters.
Some have even posed for the cameras, their boots on the heads of
victims lying on the ground. They proudly upload these photos and
videos to their personal pages at social networking sites.

Article 21 of our Constitution states that ”human rights and freedoms
shall be inalienable and inviolable.”

The abuses by the ruling authorities, and their escalating use of
violence, have threatened to make the Constitution a joke.

On Jan. 16, the government of President Viktor F. Yanukovych pushed
through Parliament a package of laws severely curtailing freedom of
speech and assembly. This week, the prime minister resigned, and the
majority of the repressive laws were repealed, partly because of the
wave of international condemnation.

It is precisely for their rights and freedoms — long and brazenly
violated by the Yanukovych regime — that the Ukrainian people are now
fighting. They have been given no other choice. Our national anthem
says, ”We will lay down our body and soul for our freedom.” On Jan.
19, the protests turned violent. But if no one resists the riot
police, the thinking goes, Ukraine will be turned into one large
prison in a matter of weeks.

This is why an acquaintance of mine, a translator of Kierkegaard and
Ibsen, now spends her time making Molotov cocktails, and her young
sons, classics majors, aged 17 and 19, throw their mother’s products
in the direction of the wall of smoke on Hrushevsky Street, which runs
past major government buildings.

This is why an 80-year-old Kiev grandmother brought her knitting
needles to the protest headquarters and gave them to the first
protester she saw with the words, ”Take them, son. If you don’t kill
the monster, maybe you’ll at least stop it.”

This is why even the Hare Krishnas in Kiev now carry baseball bats.

We are defending ourselves, our country, our future, Europe’s future
— some with Molotov cocktails, some with knitting needles, some with
paving stones, some with baseball bats, some with texts published on
the Internet, some with photos documenting the atrocities.

The police have been targeting journalists as rabidly as they have
targeted medics taking the wounded out of the scene of clashes. Berkut
has been treating journalists with cameras and notebooks as the enemy.
Several dozen journalists have been wounded, hit by stun grenades,
tear gas or rubber bullets.

Recently, coordinators of the protest made an appeal across online
social networks for medicine and diapers –which are excellent at
absorbing blood. The people of Kiev began bringing drugs and nappies
to the protest headquarters at such a scale that in just a few hours a
new message went up online: ”Enough medication for now! We don’t have
enough storage space! But we urgently need warm clothes, bread, tea
and coffee!” And again, people from all over Kiev brought everything
they could to help.

The authorities can’t understand this. Recently, some unknown thugs in
civilian clothes kidnapped an activist and spent the night torturing
him, demanding: Who is funding the Maidan? Which Western sources? Is
it the State Department, or someone else?

The regime’s mental system of coordinates cannot fit one simple fact:
The Maidan funds itself, through its own love and its own hatred.

I have never loved my homeland as much as I love it now. Before, I had
always been skeptical and restrained toward it. I am 53 years old, and
had long put sentimentality behind me.

But these days I see our women, young and old, sorting with amazing
efficiency the donated medications and food supplies, I see hipster
students in hockey masks and camouflage pants fearlessly going onto
the frontline barricades, I see our workers and farmers providing
security for the Maidan protesters, our grannies and grandpas who keep
bringing more and more hot food to Independence Square, and I feel a
lump in my throat.

Yuri Andrukhovych is a poet, essayist, translator and the author of
the novels ”Perverzion” and ”The Moscoviad.” This article was
translated by Vitaly Chernetsky from the Ukrainian.

URL:

CTK Business News Wire, Czech Rep
January 31, 2014 Friday 6:39 PM (Central European Time)

Trade with Armenia could be much higher –confederation

Prague Jan 31 (CTK)

Czech trade with Armenia is far from filling its potential,
Confederation of Industry president Jaroslav Hanak said at a
Czech-Armenian business forum held on the ocassion of a visit of
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan.

Some 100 entrepreneurs from both countries took part in the event.

“Trade with Armenia is not at the level we would imagine,” Hanak said,
adding that trade turnover between the two countries was worth EUR32m
in 2012 and only some EUR20.3m last year.

Czech President Milos Zeman also attended the forum. He recommended to
Armenian companies Czech cars, in particular Skoda cars, and
traditional Czech beer. Sargsyan talked about mineral resources of his
country.

“Czech companies are examining opportunities on the Armenian market
above all in energy supplies, municipal waste management, engineering
industry, information technologies, health care equipment and
prospecting, and are also looking at business opportunities in other
segments,” Industry and Trade Minister Jan Mladek said.

Seven memoranda were signed at the business forum, which is good news
that could intensify mutual cooperation, Hanak noted.

The Export Guarantee and Insurance Company (EGAP) signed a cooperation
agreement with new Armenian credit insurer EIAA in the presence of
both presidents.

“The agreement will allow Czech and Armenian companies to cooperate on
projects in third countries and is, of course, very important also for
further diversification of Czech exports,” said EGAP’s CEO Jan
Prochazka.

The agreements also concern, for example, cooperation between the
Nature protection agency (AOPK) and Armenia’s Mineral Resources
Agency, as well as between some regions and national parks in both
countries.

fs,kou/er

The Oxford Times, UK
January 30, 2014 Thursday

Chilingirian Quartet – maestros to teach and play

by Nicola Lisle

Nicola Lisle talks to violinist Levon Chilingirian as he brings his
famous string quartet to Abingdon School

You wouldn’t normally expect to hear an internationally-renowned
chamber ensemble performing in a school hall.

But the Chilingirian Quartet will feel quite at home next week at
Abingdon School, where they will hold a master class for the school’s
advanced violinists and viola players before giving a public concert
in the evening. It will be the quartet’s fourth such visit to the
school.

“It’s become almost like a tradition,” says Levon, who formed the
quartet in London in 1971.

“The first time the quartet played, the audience at the concert was
incredibly responsive and amazing, and it was such a great pleasure
for us. So on the one side there’s the audience, who appreciated it,
and on the other side the students, who we get on very well with.”

Education is an important part of the quartet’s ethos, and they have
worked with music colleges and conservatoires all over the world. But
Abingdon is the only school the quartet works with on a regular basis,
and Levon is delighted with what he calls their “very special
relationship”. As teachers themselves, quartet members appreciate the
dedication of the school’s music teachers.

“We do realise that the hard work is done by the week-in, week-out
teachers,” Levon says. “Hopefully we can reinforce what they’ve been
saying and inspire the boys further. “They will be playing what they
have prepared, and I am sure there will be a variety of things. There
will be sonatas, duos and quartets. “We’re here to help them with the
music they are working on, and then they will come and hear us play.”

This year’s concert features two great masterpieces of the chamber
music repertoire – Beethoven’s Rasumovsky Quartet Op.59 No.2 in E
Minor and Schubert’s Death and the Maiden. “These are two incredible
pieces, very substantial, probably two of our favourite pieces,
probably the audience’s as well, so it’s a fantastic programme of
exhilarating music – a great Beethoven quartet and a great Schubert
quartet,” he says.

The Chilingirian Quartet is one of the UK’s longest-running quartets,
although Armenian-born Levon is now the only original member. He and
his co-founders started the quartet while still students at the Royal
College of Music, and he is somewhat surprised at their longevity.

“We certainly didn’t intend in 1971 that we would be playing for over
40 years as a quartet, but that’s what’s happened.” he laughs.

Michael Stinton, director of music at Abingdon, is delighted to be
welcoming Levon and the quartet back to the school. “The boys can
learn so much from hearing these internationally famous musicians who
are at the top of their game and to have the quartet coach our young
chamber musicians beforehand is a huge bonus,” he says. “The quartet’s
last visit in February 2012 was an unforgettable experience for us and
there’s growing excitement as the next concert draws near.”

“The combination of master-classes and concerts is something we love
so we’re enormously looking forward to it,” Levon says. “There’s
always a great atmosphere, and we enjoy being at the school.”

Chilingirian Quartet
Amey Theatre, Park Road, Abingdon
Wednesday, February 5, 7pm
[email protected] or