Meet Our People: Susan Pattie

Name: Susan Paul Pattie

Place of birth: Washington, DC

Your family roots: My mother’s family is from Kessab, northwest Syria.  Her father migrated to western Pennsylvania in 1914, planning to bring his family over asap.  But in summer 1915, her mother and 6 children were forced onto the deportations. Two children died, two were taken, and two finally escaped with their mother to Aleppo. They eventually joined my grandfather in New Castle, PA. and my mother was born there. My father’s family migrated to the US  a few centuries ago. One ancestor was a well-known trapper/explorer in the early 1800s.  My father and my mother’s brother met during WWII at Indiana University where as army intelligence recruits, they were in Turkish classes together. Both their families moved to Washington during the war, they became friends and Mark found out that Jack had a lovely sister.

Your occupation / work / profession.  I’m a cultural anthropologist studying diasporas, particularly the Armenian diasporas.  I’ve taught a lot, managed a number of interesting projects, write and draw… but the most important project has been being part of creating the Armenian Institute over the past 20 years.  It has been teamwork from the beginning and I’m happy to have been part of it.

How and why did you get involved with AI? During the late 1990s, a group of friends began thinking about what was missing in London Armenian circles. We felt that a cultural/arts/academic institution that reached a broad audience, including English-speakers, would be welcomed by many – and equally importantly, we felt the need for it ourselves.  In such a big town, it’s important to have reasons to get together as often as possible!  So it nurtures friendships as well as providing educational and artistic outlets for all of us.

Tell us a special memory about AI: An impossible question… Some very special people have helped us at different points – George Kurkjian, against others’ wishes, supported AI generously at the beginning – it was important to have that initial step of faith from someone outside the team. We have had other wonderful benefactors and advisors over the years and each brings meaningful memories of a larger group supporting this project.

What are 2 or 3 of the most memorable AI events you have attended? Again, difficult – but certainly among them is the very first weekend with Khachig Tololyan speaking, a book fair, and some 40 children enacting the Anahide story. The international conference Identities Without Borders, our two major exhibitions at the Brunei Gallery, SOAS – Layered Lives (2006) and (2010) My Dear Brother: Armenian Life in Turkey 100 Years Ago along with Treasured Objects..  In 2013 Salon Mashup and in 2016, AI’s Sweet Sixteen celebration with a concert by the piano trio of Chilingirian, Chaushian, and Hakobyan.  

What are your hopes and ambitions for AI; where do you see its future? It is wonderful to see the new team leading AI in directions we couldn’t have dreamed about. I hope AI keeps a balance between being a real “institution” and being a very human, friendly and welcoming space.  And that it continues finding ways to combine high intellectual standards with exciting artistic content – and fun.  

Which languages do you speak? English, West Armenian and French. Bits of others…

Favourite book: (warning: for all following categories, the answers would change, depending on the day) The Arrival by Shaun Tan, Maus by Art Spiegelman, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, Art and Entropy by Rudolf Arnheim, Dynamics of Faith by Paul Tillich, Armenian Village Life Before 1914 by Susie Hoogasian-Villa, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.

Favourite film: Films by Wes Anderson, Spike Lee, Pixar…..  but also many exciting, thoughtful documentaries - highly recommend 20 Feet From Stardom.

Favourite music / musician / band: Chilingirian String Quartet, Collectif Medz Bazar, Kotchnak.  Also…. Aretha Franklin, Martha and the Vandellas, the Temptations, the Beatles, Jefferson Airplane, etc.  And Scarlatti piano music, Gershwin(s), Faure’s Requiem and…

Favourite artwork: Waterfall by Arshile Gorky, Wheatfield with Crows by Vincent Van Gogh, pottery by Shoji Hamada, woodcuts by Helen Frankenthaler, and…

Best advice you’ve been given:  It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.

Coffee or tea and what kind: Tea – Assam, English Breakfast, Pukka herbal teas.

Favourite place in London: South Bank – anywhere along the river. Richmond Park, the Tate Modern and the V&A.

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Meet Our People: Hasmig Topalian

Name: Hasmig Topalian

Place of birth: Palestine

Your family roots: Both sets of grandparents and my father were born in Marash, Cilicia. My mother was born in Beirut. My parents were married in Palestine and moved to Cyprus when I was three years old. We lived at the Melkonian School where my father became deputy principal and head of the mathematics/science department, and my mother, the school nurse.

Your occupation/work/profession: Retired. I was a PA for Burmah Castrol in Swindon.

How and why did you get involved with AI? We stored part of Prof Dowsett’s book collection in our house! I like the mission of AI. I was encouraged to join the committee. As I don’t live in London, it took me some time to make up my mind and I have not regretted it.

Tell us a special memory about AI: There are so many but the ‘Exhibition of Treasured Objects: Armenian Daily Life in the Ottoman Empire’ in 2010 at the Brunel Gallery was outstanding. There were so many cherished articles and objects of everyday life, embroideries, old family photographs and documents, all artistically displayed.

What are 2 or 3 of the most memorable AI events you have attended? The Cantorelli Choir Concert at St Sarkis Church was very memorable as I helped to organise it. The presentation and talk about Anjar was fascinating. The Paregentan online party was a great success.

What are your hopes and ambitions for AI; where do you see its future? I would like to see more people get to know the AI, attend its events and support its activities. I would like the AI to become more of a well-established reference library. I would like non-Armenians to be introduced to our culture.

Which languages do you speak? Armenian, English, basic French.

Favourite book: The Crossing Place by Philip Marsden. A journey among the Armenians.

Favourite film: West Side Story.

Favourite music/musician/band: Ara Malikian.

Favourite artwork: The paintings and sketches of Artemis Drentz-Marcarian (nee Topalian). She depicted mainly Egyptian peasant women. She lived in Cairo in the 1950s. Some of her work is displayed at the Mekhitarist Gallery, Vienna.

Best advice you’ve been given: To remain positive. To value friendships.

Your motto: To be honest and true to myself.

Coffee or tea and what kind: Turmeric Latte in the morning and Earl Grey Tea in the afternoon.

Favourite place in London: As I don’t live in London, my favourite place is the Cotswolds. When in London, I like visiting Kew Gardens and the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Hasmig has been a steady, supportive and positive presence in the Armenian Institute from the very beginning. She and husband, Armenag (also an exceptionally generous volunteer for AI) have not only attended and helped at events since 2001, but as she mentions, they helped with the transition of the Dowsett Collection from Oxford to London. More recently, Hasmig became a member of AI’s Advisory Committee, has organized events (such as the wonderful Cantorelli choir concert) and currently leads the volunteers in our Befriending Programme, making phone calls to those who are feeling in need of more human contact during the Covid isolation.

Meet Our People: Tatiana Der Avedissian

Name: Tatiana der Avedissian

Place of birth: London

Your family roots: My mother's side are Russian Armenians who settled in Iran so she herself is Iranian Armenian (and the most proud Iranian Armenian I have ever known). My father's side are from Western Armenia/Eastern Anatolia who ended up in Lebanon (my grandmother was an orphan), and later settled permanently in Cyprus where my father was born.

Your occupation / work / profession: Business development manager for the Economist Group. I look after the commercial development of the World Ocean Initiative and manage non-profits in the EMEA region.

How and why did you get involved with AI? I invited Nourtiza Mattosian and Susan Pattie to attend the book presentation of Eve Makis’s ‘The Spice Box Letters’ which I organised on behalf of Alkionides UK, and held under the auspices of the Cyprus High Commission. The book is based on a Cypriot Armenian family coming to terms with their forgotten past. After the event Nourtiza emailed and invited me to attend the Armenian Institute's next meeting as she thought I might be interested in joining the organisation. I had recently taken a step back from another Armenian charity so the timing was perfect as I was looking for another organisation I could be involved with that was creating an impact in the local Armenian community but, was also informing the wider public about our culture and history. The arts play a huge role in my life and after meeting the team, who are made up of such incredible and dedicated volunteers, I felt inspired and decided to join.  

Tell us a special memory about AI: I have so many but if I had to choose one or two they would be our annual Hrant Dink Commemoration events. They attract such a varied audience across so many communities, it's heartwarming to see the impact that one man had on so many of us. Each year we try to remember him through different lenses and you always leave the event with a sense of hope for humanity. My other special memory was the Collectif Medz Bazar concert we hosted at Bush Hall in 2017. We had over 200 people in attendance and everyone was dancing, true to Armenian style at the end of the concert at least 30 of us went onto find another bar so we could continue the party! 

What are 2 or 3 of the most memorable AI events you have attended?

•  Our Hrant Dink commemoration event in 2019, we screened an event we hosted in 2005 which featured a live discussion with the late Hrant Dink. I first came across Hrant Dink in 2007 when I was writing about his murder for my dissertation. It felt surreal to know that just two years prior to his death he had been in London talking about the very thing I was writing about, Turkey's accession into the EU. 

• The Town Hall meeting I hosted last year about the Armenian Revolution a year on. It attracted such a wide range of attendees of all ages who were keen to hear form our panellists about their thoughts on the impact and progress so far. 

• In 2017 we hosted an event about Zabel Yessayan which included a discussion  on 'the heritage of Armenian Women: challenges and hopes from Mkhitar Gosh, Zabel Yessayan to modern day Armenia' followed by another session on Yessayan's books, 'Translating Zabel Yessayan for a new audience.' This is a perfect example of the type of informative events AI has been running for years. Prior to attending I knew very little about Yessayan or her books, growing up my Armenian tutors never exposed me to her literature so it was such an interesting discovery especially as I consider myself a feminist and now I had a prominent Armenian female figure I could learn from. It was also the first time I learnt about the level of domestic violence in Armenia and about Anna Artushyan's initiative for gender equality in the country, that event definitely made me engage more actively on the issue. 

What are your hopes and ambitions for AI; where do you see its future? The Armenian Institute has reached an important juncture in its history following the recent grant by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the upcoming move to Saffron Hill. With all these exciting developments I have so many hopes for the organisation! I would like to see AI's library one day grow to become the largest in Europe, that one day we are officially recognised as the leading Armenian arts and cultural organisation in the UK and maybe in the near future internationally too. I would like our resources to be promoted across all UK academic institutions so that researchers always look to us for information on Armenian history and culture.  I want us to continue to inform and educate not just Armenians but, the wider public about our history and culture. And lastly, play a bigger role in bringing our historic neighbours together through our live events. 

Which languages do you speak? English, Armenian, Greek, French 

Favourite book: I have many broken down by genres but I would have to say my all time favourite is Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte.

Favourite film: Again so many! All of Elia Kazan's films, one in particular 'A face the in the Crowd,' Richard Brooks adaption of Tennessee Williams's, 'Sweet Bird of Youth' and of course 'Gone with the wind'. 

Favourite music / musician / band: This is another long list so I will pick a few that I always enjoy listening to, Bob Dylan, Marinella, Charles Aznavour, Shirley Bassey, Billie Holiday, Celia Cruz, Enrique Iglesias, Shakira, Mariah Carey, Guns N' roses, 2pac, Aerosmith, Eminem, Armin van Buuren, Above and Beyond, The Cranberries, Chromatics, Danai Stratigopoulou, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky....this list is endless. 

Favourite artwork: Too many to name but will stick to one artist, Ivan Aivazovsky. I love his paintings, The Descent of Noah is one of my favourites, it makes me feel hopeful. 

Best advice you’ve been given: 'Be positive, everything happens for a reason' 'You can't argue with people who don't want to listen' (edited slightly so as not to offend!)

Your motto: Just do it! 

Coffee or tea and what kind: Black tea with fresh mint and honey and on most days a good old fashioned cup of English tea with milk.

Favourite place in London: London is so wondrous but I will narrow it down to Primrose Hill for the view and the V&A to get lost in. 

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Tatiana der Avedissian is our newest Trustee. Tatiana has been very active in the Armenian Institute for a number of years already and brings great vitality to all she does.

Meet Our People: Stephen Masters

Name - Stephen Masters

Place of Birth - Hull, Yorkshire

Family roots - British as far back as anyone in the family has looked

Occupation - Software architect/developer. I tend to build trading or data analytics systems for banks and energy companies.

How did I get involved in AI? - A friend invited me to travel to Armenia, so I thought it might be fun to get lessons in the language. A conversation in a lesson led to me helping to digitise the book I Ask You, Ladies and Gentlemen. The rest is history. I still haven’t travelled to Armenia. :)

A special memory about AI? - Presenting a talk in Eastern Armenian about digitising I Ask You, Ladies and Gentlemen. That was nerve-wracking, but a lot of fun!

Memorable events - Maybe the most fun was learning Armenian dances with Shakeh Major Tchilingirian.

Hopes and ambitions - I think what I would like to see is more collaborations with other organisations amongst the Armenian diaspora around the world.

Languages - English, French (I lived there 4 years as a kid) and now, some limited Eastern Armenian

Favourite book - Neuromancer by William Gibson. I loved how it extrapolated technology, corporate, and political trends to a near future that seems more plausible all the time.

Favourite movie - Le Grand Bleu / The Big Blue - All the scenes on boats and underwater, take me back to dive vacations.

Favourite music - Impossible to say - it seems to change every few days.

Favourite artwork - One I keep coming back to is Jacob Epstein’s Torso in Metal From Rock Drill, in Tate Britain.

Best advice you’ve been given - Maybe I have a bad memory for these things, but I can’t think of any advice that anyone has ever given me!

Motto - I think I’ll just steal one from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure: “Be excellent to each other!"

Coffee or tea - Coffee at the moment. I usually make filter at home.

Favourite place in London - The Thames Path. I love running along the Thames Path from around Hammersmith and towards Teddington Locks.

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Stephen Masters is a trustee of the Armenian Institute, having come to us first as a language student. He joined our Advisory Committee and has been an exceptional volunteer sharing his technical skills as well as generously giving his time selling books, serving refreshments and just about anything else needed. He didn't mention his high energy level, demonstrated as a triathlete in his spare time!

Meet Our People: Gagik Stepan-Sarkissian

Name - Gagik Stepan-Sarkissian

Place of birth - Tabriz, Iran

Your family roots - Van & Arjesh (Turkey); Armenian village of Moozhoombar (Iran)

Your occupation / work / profession - Retired biochemist

How and why did you get involved with AI? - A chance meeting with Susan Pattie at a dinner party hosted by Ani King-Underwood (I even remember what Ani had cooked that evening). Both invited me to join the early brainstorming sessions with their friends – I felt intimidated by those huge intellects forging the Institute. Eventually I become one of the first 5 founding trustees.

Tell us a special memory about AI - Sorting through the library books under the railway arches in south London in freezing weather.

What are 2 or 3 of the most memorable AI events you have attended? - Series of inaugural events in 2001 which set the tone for what AI was to become eventually; the unforgettable experience of “Whispered Voices” created by Seta White; Centenary concert at Wigmore Hall.

What are your hopes and ambitions for AI; where do you see its future? - For AI to become an institution like Institut français or the Goethe Institut and serve as a template for similar organisations in the Armenian world – including Armenia.

Which languages do you speak? - In order of acquisition: Armenian, Persian, French, English. I have a good understanding of spoken Azeri Turkish.

Favourite book - National Bigwigs (Ազգային ջոջեր) by Hagop Baronian.

Favourite film - “Babette’s Feast” directed by Gabriel Axel.

Favourite music / musician / band - Classical mostly / Levon Chilingirian / Medz Bazar

Favourite artwork - “Street. Noon. Constantinople” by Martiros Saryan

Best advice you’ve been given - Many. Almost all unsolicited. Cannot remember any of them.

Your motto - It could be worse.  

Coffee or tea and what kind - Both (no milk; no sugar; no tea bags; no instant coffee)

Favourite place in London - Borough Market. Oxford Street is the UNfavourite place in London.

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For many people Gagik and the Armenian Institute are synonymous. And how lucky we are that it is nearly true. He claims to be a 'retired biochemist" but we all know that is not possible, given the amount of space in his head taken up with extensive knowledge about almost every Armenian subject under the sun. Gagik is not only our librarian and research advisor but a beloved teacher of East Armenian and coordinator of our language programme. Each year his graduates emerge with excellent speaking, reading and writing skills. His artistic talents are put to work on almost all AI flyers and announcements and the only thing he flatly refuses to do is sing. We're still working on that.

Meet Our People: Anoushka Berberian

Name : Anoushka Elise Berberian (Noosh for short)

Place of birth: London, England

Your family roots : Cypriot Armenian but my family originates from Adana and Erzurum Turkey.

You occupation / work / profession : Social media manager / Youtuber

How and why did you get involved with AI? I was introduced via Facebook where I spotted the "What's In a Name ?" event that was hosted by Susan Pattie. Through this I had the chance to meet her and found that AI was looking for another member for the team! I thought this would be a great opportunity to use my developed skills in media but also grow and learn further.

Tell us a special memory about AI : Going to the new office in Farringdon and seeing the library there was a moment I won't forget. To be in a room full of Armenian books that I had no idea existed prior to this was very moving.

What are 2 or 3 of the most memorable AI events you have attended? I have enjoyed every single event that I have attended at AI but the ones that stood out are Manti Mania, an event where we learnt to make traditional Armenian Manti, and the other being the Diaspora Forum. The Diaspora Forum was a great evening in which young Armenian panelists discussed their similarities and thoughts on what it is like to be a part of the Armenian diaspora. As one of the panelists I was able to share my feelings with others in the same position as me, with my family coming to England from Cyprus and originally Turkey, it is always a bit of a confusion to non Armenians and I loved having an open talk around people that understand.

What are your hopes and ambitions for AI; where do you see its future? I hope to bring more youth to the institute as I believe the younger generation are interested in their roots but are unaware of where to go to meet other Armenians. With my social media background I hope to bring more of us youngsters into the community through the medium of events and online engagement.

Which languages do you speak? I speak Western Armenian and English.

Favourite book: The Narnia Chronicles

Favourite film: Lord of the Rings or any fantasy

Favourite music / musician / band: I like most Electronic music, and would die without it. I can’t pinpoint one artist but some of my favourites would be The Prodigy, Basement Jaxx, Armand van Helden and Purple Disco Machine.

Favourite artwork: Tim Walker's Photography (yes, all of it)

Best advice you’ve been given: Focus on yourself before focusing on others.

Your motto: Keep smiling and love one another.

Coffee or tea and what kind: I don’t drink caffeine because I’m very Intolerant to it but my favourite tea is Peppermint and Liquorice.

Favourite place in London: Camden town. There is no place like Camden.

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Anoushka Berberian is a new member of the team, bringing lots of creative energy to the Armenian Institute.

Meet Our People: Rouben Galichian

Name:  Rouben (Roubik)  Galichian

Place of birth: Tabriz, Iran (long time ago – on 30th of November 1938)

Your Occupation/work/profession: Retired oil-gas –petrochemical project mgr, active cartography expert

Your family roots:  This is a long story

Both my parents were born in Van. Paternal grandfather was member of the defence committee. The line between the Turks and the Armenians passed through their home and garden. (I found this out when I was looking at a detailed map of the Defence of Van).

Both families escaped with the retreating Russian army and settled in Yerevan, then moved to Tiflis, where my parents went to school. Maternal family moved to France in 1932.  From this clan my grandfather came back to the region and settled in Tabriz. 

When I was eleven, my family moved from Tabriz to Tehran, where I graduated from school and obtained a scholarship from the National Oil Company to study in the UK where I studied electronics engineering in Aston University.

 How and why did you get involved with AI?

I know the founder members of the AI and after a year of activity I joined them.  

I actively participated in the organizing and implementation  of many projects.

From 2012 to end of 2015 I was the Chair of the Trustees.

 Tell us a special memory about AI.

I love the meetings arranged for visiting personalities and intellectuals as well as our book launches. The special one I treasure was our meeting with Hrant Dink a year before his assassination.

What are 2 or 3 of the most memorable AI events you have attended ?

Meeting with Hrant Dink, 

Genocide Centenary memorial concert in the Wigmore Hall (which I organised and implemented) 

What are your hopes and ambitions for AI; where do you see its future?

I think the AI has a lot to do in helping to present the Armenian culture to Great Britain.

  Which languages do you speak?

Fluent in Armenian, English, Persian

I can get by with my Azeri Turkish, Russian and German.

 Favourite book – In Armenian:  Tumanyan’s poems and quatrains, Paruir Sevak. 

In English:  “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee and “The Aftermath” by Rhidian Brook.

Favourite film – Many films

Favourite music/musician / band - Classical composers, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Tchaikovsky, Komitas and Shostakovich.

Favourite artwork - Works of Van Gogh

Best advice you’ve been given Self learned from experience 

Do not waste time planning too long ahead in your personal life

Never worry about things that you have no control over.

Your motto -  Do not do what you would not want to be done to you.

If you decide to do something, do it NOW.

Coffee or tea and what kind - Black tea, without milk and a double espresso

Favourite place in London - The Royal Festival Hall.

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Rouben Galichian now spends much of the year in Armenia but has served as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Armenian Institute and is still an active member of the Advisory Committee, bringing fresh ideas and connections to our discussions. He and his wife Mariette have created the Levon Galchian Studio, a wonderful arts workshop in the Aygegortsakan district of Miasnikian village honouring their late son, himself a highly accomplished artist and designer.

Meet Our People: Tatevik Ayvazyan

Name:  Tatevik Ayvazyan   

Place of birth: Yerevan, Armenia

Your Occupation / work  / profession: filmmaker, writer, non-profit work. Former director of AI

My background is in Social Sciences (BA in Economics, MA in Philosophy, MA in International Relations and European Studies) and I have worked on a number of arts and culture projects. I am also a filmmaker, working on the award-winning short film Taniel and currently producing a music documentary and writing a screenplay based on Iris Murdoch’s The Italian Girl.

Non-profit experience includes developing an employment programme for Refugee Resource in Oxford and running the UK Armenians and WW1 project for the Centre of Armenian Information and Advice.

Your family roots: 

Father’s side:

Salmast province; Armavir village in Armavir; Yerevan
Artonq village in Mush; Margara village in Ararat; Yerevan
Kars; Quchak village in Aparan; Parpi village in Ashtarak; Yerevan
Tignis village in Kars; Ashtarak; Yerevan

Mother’s side:

Her and Zarevand provinces; Zovuni village in Aparan; Yerevan
Khoi province; Zangakatun village in Vayq; Yerevan
Sharur in Nakhichevan; Yerevan
Khoi province; Malishka in Vayq; Yerevan

How and why did you get involved with AI?

I’ve always been a huge fan of AI and their events and jumped at the chance to become Programme Coordinator in November 2019 – haven’t looked back since!

Tell us a special memory about AI:

Screening ‘Taniel’, a short film about Varoujan, which I produced with the director Garo Berberian was a very special moment. It was incredibly emotional to share the film and read Varoujan’s poetry with the community in London. Also my first day at work was special with my wonderful colleagues, Susan and Gagik, who made me feel so welcome, loved and appreciated immediately.

What are 2 or 3 of the most memorable AI events you have attended:

We try to make all the events memorable, but one of my personal highlights is screening ‘Karine’ – at Cine Lumiere. I loved seeing one of my childhood classics from Armenia, shown in London. Presenting an event on Tumanyan’s birthday very special and recently I was honoured to run our first Armenian-language book club.

What are your hopes and ambitions for AI; where do you see its future?

There are many – I want to continue what AI has been doing for 20 years already, being a welcoming, warm space for everyone with an interest in Armenian culture to gather, to communicate, to learn and to exchange ideas. I hope our new home in Farringdon will welcome even more friends and followers to our events, workshops and classes, and our library will become a firm part of the UK’s Armenian community.  

I hope to develop our language department further, offering even wider variety of lessons – from Grabar to conversational classes. Another big priority of mine is to turn the Armenian Institute into a cultural hub for the young people, a place to read and discover things, to meet new people, to attend a jazz evening or an open mic session.

Which languages do you speak? Armenian, Russian, English

Favourite book: 100 Years of Solitude (Garcia Marquez), The Master and Margarita (Bulgakov), Le Petit Prince (de Saint-Exupéry), anything from Rushdie, anything with poetry in it.

Favourite film: Roma (Alfonso Cuarón), The Very Same Munchhausen (Mark Zakharov), anything from Kubrick and Almodovar.

Favourite music / musician / band: Kasabian, Led Zeppelin, Chemical Brothers, Sayat-Nova, the Prodigy, any Italian opera.   

Favourite artwork:  If I have to chose one, it would be Albrecht Dürer’s Self-Portrait at the Age of Twenty Eight.

Best advice you’ve been given: If in doubt, listen to Led Zeppelin (the only advice I’ve received from my dad)

Coffee or tea and what kind: Always coffee, either double espresso or Turkish coffee, nothing else. Have a weakness for cardamom or mastic coffee

Favourite place in London: Tate Modern, my garden, Saffron Hill

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Tato is a multi-talented woman and her arrival at the Armenian Institute has brought many improvements and new ventures. She loves poetry but is also good at number crunching, both important interests for the director at AI. If it was up to Tato, we would have a garden in our office and have electronic music piped in -- there's nothing predictable about our director, which is good news for us.

Meet Our People: Sona Kalenderian

Name: Sona Kalenderian

Place of birth: Beirut-Lebanon

My family roots: Sis in Cilicia (both parents and ancestors)

Occupation: Librarian and Teacher

Working with Armenian Institute: I started teaching the Western Armenian Classes in 2010 and have loved doing so, still contining today

Special memory about AI: Cooking workshop with Ani King-Underwood, Dancing workshop with Shakeh Tchilingirian, Poetry night in memory of the Armenian Genocide, film viewings and many more.

Favourite Art: Arshile Gorky, Hovhannes (Ivan) Aivazovsky, Yousuf Karsh and many more.

Best advice: When one door closes another opens.

Motto: Encourage learning the Armenian Language with great passion.

Coffee: Double Espresso

Favourite place in London: Southbank

The future of AI: To carry on with the Armenian cultural, literary events and trying to encourage the new generation to get involved.  

Favourite book: The Forty days of Musa Dagh by Franz Werfel and others.

Favourite film: Notting Hill, The Promise, Women of 1915 (Documentary) and others.

Favourite music: modern and popular music, folklore dancing music.

Meet Our People: Haig Utidjian

Name: Haig Utidjian

Place of birth: Nicosia, Cyprus

Your occupation/work/profession: Orchestral and opera conductor, musicologist, scholar

Your family roots: Constantinople, Smyrna/Alexandria, Alexandrette (Cilicia), Cyprus (from at least C18)

How and why did you get involved with AI? I offered Susan Pattie - a friend of long standing - the possibility of my delivering a lecture, at short notice, in June 2019, when I happened to be in London for other reasons - it was graciously accepted. Something similar happened via zoom earlier this year, with my second lecture. Teaching a course for the AI was almost an unintended by-product of these events.

Tell us a special memory about AI: My one and only visit to the AI (and this was still in the earlier site at the Gulbenkian Hall, adjacent to the Church of St. Sarkis) was for my own lecture for the AI in the flesh last year, for a very select audience indeed - and we had great fun chatting, singing and reminiscing afterwards!

What are 2 or 3 of the most memorable AI events you have attended: I have enjoyed all the lectures and discussions I have been able to follow in recent months - particularly those by Levon Chilinigirian and Aram Kerovpyan. I am hoping to catch up with others I sadly missed - such as with Christina Maranci and others. 

What are your hopes and ambitions for AI; where do you see its future? It is delightful to see the AI develop and I am sure it will go from height to height. I do hope that zoom sessions and the possibility of allowing people to take part from geographically disparate locations will continue even after, God willing, we overcome the present pandemic. I think that, on the one hand, there is potential for the AI to become something like a small Open University for all good things Armenian; and on the other, there is enormous potential to reach people via youtube and the like. Indeed, I myself set up a new channel myself a few weeks ago, under my own name, to place recent lectures and presentations thereon, as well as excerpts from my own concerts. One soon discovers that far more people watch these things over the weeks and months after the live events than attended at the time. Naturally, mass appeal is not what the AI should be about, but nor ought one to hide the treasures of which we are the unworthy heirs - so it behoves us to make them accessible to all if at all possible. Personally, I hope to learn more about the rather splendid library the AI possesses, and have been fantasising about teaching Armenian hymns remotely to interested colleagues all over the world via the AI platform, to help prepare a new generation of singers and musicians - but time will tell!

Which languages do you speak? Armenian (new and old), English, Greek (new and old), Czech, French, a smattering of Italian; but admittedly I cannot claim to "speak" the older languages...

Favourite book: I must mention several. In no particular order: Eco's "The Island of the Day Before", Calvino's "Invisible Cities" (both in William Weaver's wonderful English translations), the catalogue "Armenia: Imprints of a Civilization", the marvellous Kyurkchyan/Khatcherian album "Armenian Ornamental Art", the works of St. Gregory of Narek (in the millennial edition by Abp. Zareh Aznaworean of blessed memory, published by the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia), the Corpus Areopagiticum (preferably in the original but the best English translations are those by the Shrine of Wisdom), Homer (if poss. in the original, but the verse translation by the Mekhitarist Father, Arsén Awetik'ean is itself a masterpiece) and Thucydides (the best English translation of the latter is that by Crawley), my Ricordi pocket editions of the Beethoven and Brahms symphonies, my Փոքրիկներու Ժամագիրք that I continue to consider the most user-friendly edition, and the Tntesean Hymnal, which I was lucky to acquire in Constantinople less than ten years ago, and which changed my life!

Favourite film: The French Lieutenant's Woman

Favourite music/musician/band: This deserves to be addressed category by category!

Music: Monteverdi Vespers of 1610, Bach Mass in B Minor, Handel the Op. 6 Concerti Grossi, Beethoven's, Brahms', Franck's symphonies, and some of Mozart's, Sibelius', Shostakovich's, Nielsen's, most of Mahler's, Schmidt's 4th, both of Schoenberg's Chamber Symphonies, and some of the pieces by the late Guido Turchi; as far as living composers are concerned, Birtwistle's Silbury Air, Benedict Mason's Concerto for the Viola Section Accompanied by the Rest of the Orchestra, and Morgan Hayes' Violin Concerto. Songs by Chausson, Duparc, Debussy, Poulenc, Mahler... Czech music - especially Suk’s Pohádka and Asrael, and Janáček’s operas and opera in general.

As far as Armenian music is concerned, the favourite composers are, of course, not the usual household names but instead Anushavan Ter Ghevontian, Geghuhi Chitchian, Ludwig Bazil, Alan Hovhaness (at his very considerable best); but if I had to choose a single work as the greatest masterpiece of Armenian music, it must surely be the Komitas/Sahakiants Liturgy for Strings. Indeed, the very best Armenian music consists of our hymns and odes, which have passed the test of the centuries and undergone a process of filtration as well as re-composition; nevertheless, the music that we have is probably not remotely as old as people think it to be, but that does not, of course, reduce its artistic value one whit!

Musicians: Of those who have passed away - Carlo Maria Giulini, Otto Klemperer, Josef Kuchinka, Jean-Claude Malgoire, Hugues Cuenod, Pierre Bernac, Jascha Heifetz, Sergei Rachmaninov, Sviatoslav Richter; of those still happily with us, Lothar Zagrosek and Michel Corboz. As far as Armenian musicians are concerned, the very best have been clergy or church musicians - Abp. Zareh Aznaworean and Archpriest Vazken Sandruni, Vahan Bedelian all possessed outstanding and warm musicality.

Bands: It is still worth hearing the Vienna Philharmonic in the flesh, whenever possible; and the Philharmonia as recorded in the 1950s and 1960s.

Favourite artwork: I am particularly fond of Danish art, particularly of the Golden Age and of the Skagen, turn-of-the-century period, but there is much else that I love. Particular favourites are Wilhelm Bendz's "A Smoking Party" (1828) and "Artist in the Evening at Finck's Coffee House in Munich" (1832), Michael Ancher's 1897 painting of Anna Ancher and Marie Kroyer walking along Sonderstrand (1897), but also James Eckford Lauder, "Bailie McWheeble at Breakfast" (1854); and one cannot fail to be fond of some of Guardi's paintings. Oh and anything by Fra Angelico... And there are many rather less well-known pieces of which I happen to be rather fond, including some modern examples... And also, it is not always just the works themselves, but how they are displayed, how they interact with each other and with the building wherein they are exhibited and with the outside as well. In these respects, one of the most magnificent exhibitions I have ever experienced was "Intuition" at the Palazzo Fortuniy, at the 2017 Biennale... But I am sure that I shall bitterly regret having omitted some favourites, moments upon sending off the present email!

If we can extend the word "artwork" to embrace architecture, one also has to include Hagia Sophia, San Marco, Dadivank, Rosslyn Chapel and Rievaulx Abbey.

Best advice you’ve been given: Oh that was indubitably from our Nonlinear Systems and Linear Algebra lecturer, Dr J. C. Alwright at Imperial College - "Do not attribute to malice that which may be attributed to stupidity"! And the Arabic saying - "Allow the owner to decide what his donkey should be tied to"!

Coffee or tea and what kind: Both, but I drink tea to live, and coffee for pleasure. There are, in fact, very many teas I like, but not the ultra-black, coarse concoctions that have to be drowned out in milk to be palatable that have an inexplicable hold over the British public! The very best coffee I have ever had was purchased in Tbilisi from a tiny Armenian shop; otherwise, I prefer the Charalambous coffee in Cyprus. I have been very fortunate to have enjoyed outstanding Far Eastern coffee (though not the variety that is recovered from the droppings of specially nourished animals). I also enjoy fine espresso, but it is very much a hit-and-miss affair. No less important, I find, is the ritual of having coffee, and the company with which one shares the coffee. I fear the Camus quote about not committing suicide so long as one may enjoy coffee is apocryphal, but I do sympathise with the sentiment!

Favourite place in London: St. Bart's Hospital, beyond doubt. I could also include "Books Etc." at Liverpool Street station, "HMV" at Oxford Street, and "Foyles" - but all these have either disappeared, moved or been transformed beyond recognition since I last lived in London.

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Haig Utidjian has many interests and talents, holding degrees in Control Engineering as well as Conducting. He has devoted himself to music in many forms, including Armenian sacred music, and has taught Grabar for AI.