Newsletter

Volume 1 | Spring Issue

In this issue..

Armenian Choir at Oxford In 2013 for the first time in Oxford’s history the Armenian Holy Liturgy was served in Pembroke College Chapel. The Liturgy was performed by a choir made of a few Oxford Armenian students. Subsequently an idea was born to found an Armenian choir at Oxford. This year many new students joined the choir in September, and we can proudly say that now we have a professional Armenian Choir at Oxford. The choir has already presented itself at the Armenian Society Event on 6th December 2013, dedicated to the 25 anniversary of the 1988 Earthquake in Armenia, and performed a few pieces from the Holy Liturgy including 'Gta Ter', 'I Verin Yerusaghem', 'Ter Voghormea'. The choir also performs Armenian folk songs written by Komitas and other prominent Armenian composers. Currently it is preparing to have several performances in different events throughout the year. If you or anyone you know is interested in joining the choir, please contact Marianna Asatryan [email protected]. You can follow the choir’s activities on our FB page.

Armenian Language Lunch-hour Classes Armenian nation prides itself in preserving the beautiful language no matter where they are. Many Oxford Armenians come from different parts of the world and are very eager to practice the language of their ancestors as much as possible. To realize this, a Lunch-hour Language club has been launched. Every Monday at 1pm the society members gather in one of the Oxford University Colleges to speak Armenian. There is an intention to later on to turn these gatherings into more structured courses of the Armenian Language with the help of Society committee and board members. As for now, the society members enjoy friendly conversations centered most of the time around Armenia.

Armenian Holy Liturgy at Oxford Pembroke It is with great pleasure that we announce the second historical Armenian Orthodox Divine Liturgy in Oxford which will be celebrated by HG Bp Vahan Hohvanessian. The Liturgy will be sung by the Oxford Armenian choir. The Liturgy will take place on Feb 22 at 5:00pm at Pembroke College Chapel with after-reception at Mary Hyde Eccles Room. You can join the event on Facebook by clicking here .

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Volume 1 | Spring Issue

Repatriation and Deception On March 28th, the society will host a guest from California, Ms. Hazel Antaramyan who will have a talk entitled "Repatriation and Deception: History and Testimonies from Survivors of the Post-WWII Repatriation to Soviet Armenia", followed by a panel discussion and refreshments. Besides the extremely interesting presentation, this is also a great chance to meet Armenian society members at Cambridge, who will join us for the event. The event will hold on 28 March 2014 at 7:00 pm at Mary Hyde Eccles Room, Pembroke College

Political Evening with Georgian and Ukrainian Societies The politics and economics of Armenia and its surrounding countries is always a hot discussion topic among the Armenians in Oxford. The Armenian Georgian and Ukrainian societies at Oxford will host an event introducing the current political and economical situations in the three countries focusing on “.. where the three countries are currently on the path of joining the Russian Tax Union”. The event will include short presentations by our guest speakers Neil Macfarlane, Roy Allison and Kalupso Nicolaidis, who are, experts on this field from the University of Oxford. The talks will be followed by panel discussions within the audience. The Event will take place on 6th March at 6:00pm. The place will be confirmed shortly.

Oxford Dance Workshop In this workshop Shakeh Major Tchilingirian, an acclaimed solo dance artist and choreographer from London, will make a presentation on Armenian Folk dance, its ethnographic roots, and symbolism and will discuss the variations throughout the historic homeland and Diaspora. She will then demonstrate some of the dances, inviting the participants to join her in simple but enriching symbolic folk dancing in a circle and having fun exploring some dances. No previous experience of dance is necessary. Shakeh Major Tchilingirian is a British-Armenian performing artist based in London. Her unique presentation and interpretation highlight the power and spirituality of Armenian folk dances. Shakeh turns her dances into intricate 'narratives' of the human spirit. The event will held at the end of May. The details will follow shortly.

Holy Easter Celebration The OUAS cordially invites everybody to celebrate the Holy Easter Eve in the evening of the 19th April. The celebration will include preparing the Armenian traditional Easter feast and learn about the symbolism of Easter. The event will also include a performance of Easter Hymns by the Oxford Armenian choir.

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Volume 1 | Spring Issue

Ayb at Oxford Recently we've had a very good chance to welcome Luys Board member Fr. Mesrop Aramyan along with the Luys partner Ayb School team, who were on a business trip in UK, at Oxford. It was a great pleasure to receive an update about the growing elementary, middle and high Ayb schools in Yerevan and Dilijan, Armenia, where the education level already equates the European standard.

Announcements

London Armenian Choir after Komitas invites people who have experience in singing or simply interested in singing Armenian Folk-style songs, Liturgy, etc. . To join the choir please contact Sipan Hakobyan, the conductor of the choir, at [email protected]

London Armenia Opera Proudly presents GARINEH! 29 and 30 March 2014. A unique performance! For more information please contact the person in charge via 01923773277 or 07867672787

Oxford Armenian Society would like to host a Formal Armenian Dinner in the beginning of Summer at one of the Colleges. We are looking for a college where a booking for approximately 20 people is possible. Please contact any of the OUAS Committee members.

Oxford Armenian Society will be holding a cultural event with Tekeyan Cultural Association in Trinity Term. The details will follow on our Weekly Bulletin.

Contacts You can follow OUAS on our Facebook Page

For additional information and for the weekly event bulletin please contact the secretary of OUAS on [email protected]

...With the Best Wishes, Oxford University Armenian Society Page 3 of 3