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10 The Armenian Reporter | March 28, 2009 Community Talent and dedication at the St. Sahag School of Music by Lynne Knadjian Gildensoph SAINT PAUL , Minn. – This past November, I was sitting in a pew at the St. Sahag Armenian Church, with my eyes closed, floating on a layer of music, and thinking about how lucky the Twin Cities community is to have among us so many amazing musicians. For a relatively small Armenian community, we have been blessed with a remarkable number of people with music in their souls. Although I cannot play a note myself, I find that, as the saying goes, “Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life,” so I jumped at the chance to write about the St. Sahag School of Music. Begun in 2003 by Stepan Khachatryan, the school has now grown to include 30 students and three teachers – Mr. Khachatryan and his wife Astghik Alanakyan, both of whom teach piano, and their daughter Mariam Khachatryan, who teaches flute and shvi. Stepan and Astghik both graduated from the renowned Gomidas State Conservatory of Yerevan, and Mariam has a diploma in music from the Gyumri branch of the State Conservatory of Yerevan. The journey of this talented family to St. Paul started in Gyumri. Stepan Khachatryan (second from right), Astghik Alanakyan (left), Mariam Khachatryan ( second from left), and their students at the St. Sahag School of Music, St. Paul, Minn. Stepan gets a far-away look in his eyes as he describes this traditional Armenian city, a place he says where “Armenian traditions were kept alive.” Gyumri has historically been known as a center for the arts; a beautiful city with historic architecture and a lively cultural scene - home to poets, writers, and composers, among others (and where the opera Anoush was performed for the first time in 1912). His countenance changes to one of sadness as he remembers the devastation wrought by the December 1988 earthquake, when people suffered grievous losses. Many died and about seventy percent of the city was destroyed, causing what Stepan calls “a loss of spirit.” After the earthquake the family moved to Estonia, where they had friends in the music community. Stepan and Astghik both taught piano in Pärnu for about 7 years, until they returned in 1996 to Gyumri, where Stepan was a Musical Methodology Specialist in the Department of Culture in the Shirak region of Armenia. In 1997 Stepan accepted the position of Director of the Gyumri Branch of the Yerevan Conservatory of Music. Astghik taught at the Conservatory, and Mariam performed for three years as a flautist with the Kohar Symphony Orchestra. Soon after the church building which was to become St. Sahag was purchased in 2000, Stepan and his son Harut (also a musician) were visiting the Twin Cities and were encouraged by members of the Parish Council (especially Adrienne and Jackie Hayes) to settle and open a music school. Although this endeavor took some time to organize, the school opened in 2003. Around this time Astghik came to the U.S., and the family was joined by Mariam in 2006. Another daughter, Liana, also a musician, lives with her family in Europe. Students at the school learn about the basics of music theory and practice along with learning about Armenian music and composers, and about Armenian cultural traditions. Stepan said that he derives a great sense of satisfaction from watching the progress his students (mostly children) have made over the years. This was evident, also, to the audience at the 5th Anniversary Concert, as video of some students as they began instruction was juxtaposed with their performances. It was fun to see these videos from five years ago, where the kids were just learning to plunk out simple piano tunes, and then to sit back and listen, in amazement, as these confident and talented young musicians with the ages of 8 to 13 years old regaled us with music that ranged from classical pieces written by composers such as Shostakovich, Chopin, Dvo?ák, and Khachaturian to pieces such as Slavonik Dance, Sabre Dance and more. The youth are clearly pleased with what they have learned. “I love music, always have,” says Steven Lipovetsky, 13, who came to St. Sahag in 2004. “I’ve had other teachers in the past, but none were as good as Mr. Khachatryan. He puts all his effort into teaching us the best he knows, and it’s great. He leads us through obstacles of music, and a good result always comes.” Andrew Dourgarian, 11, a student of piano and flute, gets right to the point. “If you want to learn to play music,” he says, “this is the place.” Truly this school is a major success and a wonderful contribution to our community. We are, indeed, lucky that this talented and giving family chose to make Minnesota their home, and we are grateful to them. Students at the St. Sahag School of Music sound off “Music is hard work, but it is worth it,” says Juliana Malishev, 9. “If I hadn’t taken piano lessons, I would Continued on page 11
The Armenian Reporter | March 28, 2009 11 Community Talent and dedication at the St. Sahag School of Music Continued from page 10 be missing out on a great experience.” Gabriel Berkovsky and Katya Vladikine, 11, are building not only skills, but also selfconfidence. “Playing piano was hard,” says Gabriel, “but I felt very proud once I finished a piece.” “I believe that with the teacher I have, and with what he teaches me, I will become much more successful compared to any other music teacher,” states Katya. “Playing piano and saxophone takes a lot of time out of my day, but it is still worth it for the music,” says Sam Khodursky, 13, who tunes into the radio or his iPod between practice sessions. Rock, jazz, classical, and beyond-”the more you like music, the more music you like and understand.” For Mina Sprengeler, 11, music is “a great way to express yourself not using words. There are a lot of different types of music and I think that’s what makes music so special.” “Music is something people need to know about,” declares Roman Kouznetsov, 11. “In addition that it is important it is also fun. Music is an excellent thing.” The piano helps David Salazkin, 11, relax and get away. “I feel different from every song,” he explains. “I play because every song has a different rhythm and different beat. I like playing fast songs because they get me really energetic and happy. “I like learning to play the piano because it helps me do everything I like about piano,” adds David, a student since 2006. “I also like learning to play the piano because it makes me unique and special.” Truly this school is a major success and a wonderful contribution to our community. “Music inspires me,” says Thomas Dourgarian, 8. “I play every day.” Katya’s younger sister, nineyear-old Nastia Vladikine, has been taking piano lessons for the last five years. “When I was four I thought it was nice, but now it is super duper nice,” she says. At 13, Krystyna Zane is old enough to accompany the St. Sahag Armenian Church choir, but she still gets excited to receive new music. “I like to play piano,” explains Krystyna, “because I get to learn more each day.” Knights of Vartan Queens and Long Island scholarship deadline approaching BAYSIDE – The Etchmiadzin Lodge of the Knights of Vartan, will offer a $1,000 scholarship as well as other smaller grants to Armenian students who are currently enrolled at an accredited college or university in pursuit of an undergraduate or graduate degree. The applicants must have completed at least one semester of college work. The competition is open to residents of Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk counties of New York state. Also eligible are residents of these counties who are attending schools outside of the area. Applicants are additionally eligible for a second $ 1,000 scholarship award if they are sons or daughters of a member of the Knights of Vartan in good standing. The deadline for completed applications and supporting transcripts is May 16 For an application form, contact Edward Barsamian at 1-212-689- 6273 or e-mail request to erugs@att. net.
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