Tag: Armenian Liturgy

Learn Classical Armenian (Krapar, the Language of the Armenian Church) in the New Year!

On By zohrabcenterIn General Interest, Zohrab Center Events, Zohrab Center UpdatesLeave a comment

Let your 2024 New’s Year resolution be to learn classical Armenian (Krapar)!

Zohrab Center director Dr. Jesse S. Arlen is offering a 12-week course (Jan. 8 – Mar 29) that will introduce participants to ancient or “classical” Armenian, the literary form of the language from the fifth to the nineteenth century and the liturgical language of the Armenian Orthodox Church today. An Indo-European language, Armenian is distantly related to Greek, Latin, English, and other western languages. It has a vast library of literature comprised of original compositions by literary and theological masters such as St. Gregory of Narek and St. Nersess Shnorhali, as well as important translations from Greek, Syriac, Latin, and Arabic, among other languages, some of which survive only in Armenian translation.

All sessions will take place by Zoom and no prior experience or knowledge is required. Students will learn the Armenian alphabet, basic grammar, and vocabulary, and will read simple prose narratives, while also gaining an appreciation for the culture and tradition of one of the ancient Christian peoples of the East. The course will be of interest to the faithful of the Armenian Church, as well as anyone with an interest in classics, medieval/byzantine/near eastern studies, biblical studies, theology, and liturgy, and will cover the equivalent of a one-semester university class for only $500. Minimum of 5 students required in order to run the course. A continuation class will be offered based on student demand. Email jarlen@fordham.edu to express interest and for scheduling.

Watch the Recording of the St. Nersess Shnorhali Conference in Rome on YouTube Now

On By zohrabcenterIn General Interest, Zohrab Center UpdatesLeave a comment

The international conference “Plenitude of Grace, Plenitude of Humanity: St Nerses Shnorhali at the Juncture of Millennia” took place Thursday and Friday (Nov 30–Dec 1) at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome. The recordings of all sessions from both days are available to view online through the YouTube Channel of the Pontifical Oriental Institute or below.A conference flyer and schedule are also available to view below.

Conference on St. Nersess Shnorhali in Rome Available to Stream on YouTube

On By zohrabcenterIn General InterestLeave a comment

The international conference “Plenitude of Grace, Plenitude of Humanity: St Nerses Shnorhali at the Juncture of Millennia” is taking place this Thursday and Friday (Nov 30–Dec 1) at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome. Among the invited speakers are Zohrab Center director Dr. Jesse S. Arlen, former Diocesan primate Bp. Daniel Findikyan, St. Nersess Armenian Seminary Emeritus Professor Dr. Abraham Terian and current St. Nersess Seminary Professor Dr. Roberta R. Ervine, along with an impressive lineup of scholars and clergymen.

The sessions will be broadcast live (and available for later viewing) through the YouTube Channel of the Pontifical Oriental Institute (www.youtube.com/@Orientale).

The conference was organized in conjunction with a series of events that were to take place in Rome and the Vatican, including concerts and an ecumenical prayer service, to honor the 850th year since the death of St. Nerses Shnorhali. Unfortunately, all events apart from the conference have been indefinitely postponed.

A conference flyer and schedule are available to view below:

REMINDER: Architect David Hotson to Speak on “Raising Awareness of Armenian History through the design of Saint Sarkis Armenian Church”

On By zohrabcenterIn Zohrab Center EventsLeave a comment

Come to Kavookjian Hall at the Diocesan Center this Wednesday, Nov. 1st, to hear architect David Hotson speak on “Raising Awareness of Armenian History through the Design of Saint Sarkis Armenian Church,” the award-winning church in Dallas, Texas. A reception will follow the illustrated presentation, which is organized by the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center under the auspices of Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan, primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America (Eastern).

Architect David Hotson to Speak on “The Making of Saint Sarkis Armenian Church,” the Award-Winning Church in Dallas, Texas

On By zohrabcenterIn Zohrab Center Events, Zohrab Center UpdatesLeave a comment

On Wednesday, November 1st at 7:00pm ET at Kavookjian Hall of the Diocesan Center in New York, under the auspices of Diocesan primate, Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan, and organized by the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center, architect David Hotson will give an illustrated presentation on “The Making of Saint Sarkis Church in Dallas, Texas,” which was named the US Building of the Year 2022 by World-Architects.

David Hotson_Architect is an architectural design firm based in New York City. 

Founded by David Hotson in 1991, the office works on private cultural, institutional and residential projects located anywhere in the world with current projects in New York City, the Hudson Valley, Vermont, Texas, and the Caribbean.

The firm focusses on architectural space as the primary medium of design, shaping figural spatial volumes filled with natural light.

The office has been featured in The New Yorker, the New York Times, Architectural Record, Interior Design, Detail, The Plan, Architectural Digest and many other publications, and has been featured on architecture and design websites in over thirty countries.

The office has been recognized by the international Architizer A+ Awards program, and has received a ‘Best of Ten’ Award from the editors of Interior Design Magazine, who selected the SkyHouse penthouse as the single most extraordinary apartment project from a decade of ‘Best of Year’ Award program winners.

In January 2023 the Saint Sarkis Church complex was designated as the 2022 ‘US Building of the Year’ on the influential ‘World-Architects’ web platform.

David Hotson received a Bachelor of Environmental Design degree from the University of Waterloo in southern Ontario Canada and Master of Architecture degree from the Yale University School of Architecture.  He is a registered architect in the state of New York.

Zoom Lecture Series on Medieval Armenian Poetry

On By zohrabcenterIn Events in New York, General InterestLeave a comment

Zohrab Info Center director Dr. Jesse S. Arlen will deliver the final two lectures in the St. Nersess Armenian Seminary 2023 Spring Public Lecture Series.

Thursday, March 9th: “Nahapet Kuchak and the Hayren”
Thursday, March 16th: “Sayat Nova and the Ashugh Tradition”

For ZOOM registration, click here. To learn more about the series, click here. To watch the recordings of previous sessions in this series, click here.

Experience the Poetry of Mkrtich Naghash | Lecture & Performances

On By zohrabcenterIn Events in New York, General Interest, Zohrab Center EventsLeave a comment

On Thursday, February 23rd at 7:00pm by ZOOM, Zohrab Information Center director Dr. Jesse Arlen’s lecture series on Medieval Armenian Poetry continues with a lecture devoted to the poetry of 15th-century poet and priest, Mkrtich Naghash.

This lecture coincides with the start of the North American debut tour of The Naghash Ensemble, a musical group that performs the poetry of Mkrtich Naghash in original compositions arranged by John Hodian.

The lecture and performances offer a one-of-a-kind opportunity to delve into the life, context, and works of this little known but very talented and profound poet of the fifteenth century and experience medieval poetry alive today in the twenty-first century.

To register for the lecture, offered through the St. Nersess Armenian Seminary Spring Public Lecture series, visit: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkd-CuqD0qHtT36Lp4Zb8sodm9jmFR8q3W

For a list of tour dates and to purchase tickets, visit: https://www.naghashensemble.com/tours

On March 11th, the Naghash Ensemble performs at Carnegie Hall in NYC: https://www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2023/03/11/The-Naghash-Ensemble-of-Armenia-Songs-of-Exile-0730PM

To read an article about the Naghash Ensemble, click here: https://asbarez.com/the-resurrection-of-naghash-and-hovhannes/

Monastic and Seminarian Life within the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople | Friday, Feb 17, 7:30pm Hybrid Event

On By zohrabcenterIn Zohrab Center Events1 Comment

The Zohrab Information Center and St. Leon’s Armenian Church, along with Constantinople Armenian Relief Society (C.A.R.S.), Esayan-Getronagan Alumni Inc., Gomidas Choir, St. Nersess Armenian Seminary, and Tibrevank Alumni Inc. are pleased to sponsor an Armenian-language lecture, entitled “Կ. Պոլսոյ Պատրիարքութեան Վանական-Դպրեվանականը Կեանքը” (“Monastic and Seminarian Life within the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople”) by Fr. Harutyun Vartabed Damadyan, with Prof. Roberta Ervine, Dr. Jesse Arlen, and Arthur Ipek, in-person and by Zoom on Friday, February 17 at 7:30pm at St. Leon Armenian Church (12-61 Saddle River Rd, Fair Lawn, NJ 07410). 

All proceedings will take place in Armenian. 

Registration requested for in-person and Zoom attendance at: https://bit.ly/Saint-Leon-Monastic-Life-Bolis. 

To watch on YouTube, click on https://bit.ly/StLeonEvents at the beginning of the program.

Upcoming Events: Medieval Armenian Poetry; Launch of New Reading Series; Seminarian Life in Istanbul

On By zohrabcenterIn Zohrab Center Events, Zohrab Center UpdatesLeave a comment

The Zohrab Information Center is pleased to announce the following upcoming events:

  • ZIC director Dr. Jesse S. Arlen will deliver part 2 of a two-semester public lecture series offered through St. Nersess Armenian Seminary on Medieval Armenian Poetry, with six lectures scheduled for the following Thursday evenings: February 2, 9, 16 and 23, March 2 and 9. All sessions are offered on Zoom from 7 PM – 8 PM. To learn more about the series and for Zoom registration, click here. To watch part 1 of this series on YouTube, click here.
  • “Literary Lights,” a reading series featuring new works by Armenian authors organized by the International Armenian Literary Alliance (IALA), the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR), and the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center, launches Tuesday, February 8 at 8 PM ET by Zoom with Taleen Voskuni, author of Sorry, Bro. Click here to register. Audience members are invited to read along with the series, which you can become familiar with here.
  • ZIC and St. Leon’s Armenian Church, along with Constantinople Armenian Relief Society (C.A.R.S.), Esayan-Getronagan Alumni Inc., Gomidas Choir, St. Nersess Armenian Seminary, and Tibrevank Alumni Inc. are pleased to sponsor an Armenian-language lecture, entitled “Կ. Պոլսոյ Պատրիարքութեան Վանական-Դպրեվանականը Կեանքը” (“Monastic and Seminarian Life within the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople”) by Fr. Harutyun Vartabed Damadyan, with Prof. Roberta Ervine, Dr. Jesse Arlen, and Arthur Ipek, in-person and by Zoom on Friday, February 17 at 7:30pm at St. Leon Armenian Church (12-61 Saddle River Rd, Fair Lawn, NJ 07410). All proceedings will take place in Armenian. Registration requested for in-person and Zoom attendance at: https://bit.ly/Saint-Leon-Monastic-Life-Bolis. To watch on YouTube, click on https://bit.ly/StLeonEvents at the beginning of the program.
  • The reading series “Literary Lights” continues in-person at the Eastern Diocese on Wednesday, March 29th at 7 PM with A Book, Untitled, with author Shushan Avagyan and translator Deanna Cachoian-Schanz, joined by Harvard preceptor on Armenian language and culture Lisa Gulesserian.

Dr. Jesse Arlen’s Medieval Armenian Poetry Lecture Series on YouTube

On By zohrabcenterIn General Interest, Videos, Zohrab Center Updates1 Comment

Zohrab postdoctoral fellow and director Dr. Jesse Arlen’s medieval Armenian poetry lectures, offered through the St. Nersess Armenian Seminary Fall public lecture series, are available to stream on YouTube.

Part 1 consisted of six lectures, and included material on sharagans (hymns), taghs (odes), and other genres of sacred liturgical song, biblical epic, penitential poetry, and laments over the capture of cities.

A bibliography accompanying the series is available here.

The videos are available below:

Lecture 1 – The Lay of the Land
Lecture 2: The Sharakan and the Origin of Sacred Poetry
Lecture 3 – Sacred Song at Narek Monastery: Gandz, Tagh, and Meghedi
Lecture 4 – Penitential Poetry: Narek and its Heirs
Lecture 5 – Biblical Epic: Grigor Magistros, Nersēs Shnorhali, and Aṛakʿel of Siwnik
Lecture 6 – Laments for the Fall of Cities and Other Calamities

Part 2 of this lecture series will continue as part of the St. Nersess Spring Public Lecture series.

Check their website for upcoming dates, details, and a Zoom link: https://stnersess.edu/global-classroom/live-presentations/