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յայտագրէն: Կը յուսանք որ
դիտեցիք մեր աշակերտներուն կեանքի հատուածներն
կեդրոնէն ներս գործող բոլոր կազմակերպութիւններուն, միութիւններուն եւ «Պապայեան» հիմնարկին, ինչպէս նաեւ
եւ ՀՕՄ-ի
շրջանային վարչութեան:
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Toronto seminar tackles the evolving nature of Armenian diaspora identity
TORONTOHYE — A recent community gathering in Toronto brought together multiple generations of the Canadian-Armenian community to confront the complex and evolving question of how Armenian identity can be effectively preserved in today’s modern world. The special session, held on April 30, 2026, at the Barev Youth Centre, was sponsored by the Holy Trinity Armenian Church and facilitated by representatives from the Zoryan Institute. According to a press release published by the Zoryan Institute on May 4, 2026, the seminar guided participants through an open, collective reflection on modern cultural continuity.
The seminar was led by the Institute’s President, K. M. Greg Sarkissian, alongside Program Assistant Semhale Tsehaye. The high turnout of young people matched the core focus of the host venue; the Barev Centre was founded by Rev. Archpriest Fr. Zareh Zargarian to serve the educational and cultural needs of the community, bringing together youth programming, the St. Sahag and St. Mesrob Saturday School, and the Sassoun Dance Ensemble. During the session, participants broke into smaller discussion groups to tackle foundational questions regarding the components of personal identity for those born in Canada versus Armenia, the specific elements of culture required to preserve Armenian identity, and the ways personal identity and collective cultural identity intersect.
While participants identified language, history, age, and ethnicity as core pillars of their individuality, the role of religion sparked the evening's most dynamic debate. For some attendees, religion and identity were deeply intertwined, and the Armenian Church was described as being the sole bastion for preserving collective Armenian identity. However, this sentiment was quickly challenged by other participants who looked to deeper historical contexts. As noted in the press release, attendees pointed out that, historically, Armenians maintained a strong sense of identity even before adopting Christianity, preserving their unique identity for centuries while still sharing the same religion of Zoroastrianism with the then-Persian empire.
To broaden the perspective, Sarkissian introduced a comparative analysis of how major world religions intersect with nationhood through the lenses of covenant, land, and language. This multidisciplinary approach aligns with the Zoryan Institute's broader academic work as a non-profit dedicated to scholarly research in universal human rights, genocide, and diaspora-homeland relations. The discussion highlighted how Islam, Judaism, and Christianity share the idea of a covenant but differ significantly in how they impact collective identity. In Islam, Arabic holds a central place as the language of faith, and Mecca and Medina serve as key sacred sites for physical pilgrimage. In Judaism, Hebrew and the land of Israel are deeply tied to the covenant and the ethno-religious identity of Jewish people, which naturally reinforces continuity across generations. In contrast, Christianity functions in a universal way without a specific language or geographic land to identify with other than a spiritual Kingdom of God, meaning it does not necessarily deliver a strong sense of peoplehood or collective ethnic identity. Ultimately, the session moved away from rigid definitions, concluding that Armenian identity today is not monolithic and that its preservation remains a personal choice. The Zoryan Institute noted that preserving identity in the diaspora depends entirely on the willingness of individuals and organizations to choose for themselves how to stay connected to different facets of Armenian culture. This community dialogue serves as a practical extension of the themes explored in the Institute's other public projects, which include their academic journal, Diaspora: A Journal of Transnational Studies, published in partnership with the University of Toronto Press, and their identity-focused podcast, Dispersion , which is currently in its fourth season. ֍
Photo courtesy of the Zoryan Insititute
Eve Egoyan bridges past and present in 'Longing and belonging' performance at Walter Hall
Tracing a lineage from Komitas Vardapet to contemporary compositions
TORONTOHYE—On May 7, 2026, the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music presented a solo piano recital by Eve Egoyan titled ‘Longing and belonging: Music for piano by Armenian composers’. Held at Walter Hall, the performance was the inaugural public concert of the Global Musical Modernities and Local Agency Conference. This international gathering, supported by the Jackman Humanities Institute and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, brought together over 50 speakers from 17 countries to examine the boundaries of Western art music in a globalized context.
The evening was introduced by Michelle Assay, a research fellow at King’s College London and the University of Toronto, who co-organized the conference with Professor Robin Elliott. In her opening remarks, Assay emphasized the thematic weight of the recital:
“[This conference is] about connection through music. Something needed in a world so often marked by conflict, division, and hostility. Tonight’s concert speaks directly to that theme through the music of Armenian composers, but also through a deeply personal artistic journey, the journey for belonging."
The recital was curated by Egoyan following her first journey to Armenia in 2022. The program was designed to trace the evolution of the Armenian "national idiom," a concept first championed by Komitas Vardapet (1869–1935).
The performance opened with Tigran Mansurian’s Lullaby for the Knight (2010), a spare, meditative work dedicated to the late Russian composer Andrey Volkonsky. This was followed by Mary Kouyoumdjian’s ‘Aghavni’ (Doves) (2009), a piece that blends lyrical stillness with the tension of family histories shaped by the Lebanese Civil War and the Armenian Genocide.
The technical complexity increased with Boghos Gelalian’s ‘Tre Cicli’ (1969). Gelalian, a Lebanese-Armenian composer born in Alexandretta, utilized dense chromatic textures and driving rhythms to bridge the gap between Middle Eastern modes and Western musical modernism. Following this, Egoyan performed excerpts from Vache Sharafyan’s ‘Goat-Rite’ (2014), a ritualistic 12-movement cycle that utilizes incantatory repetition and resonant silence to evoke a pre-modern ceremonial world.
While the recital marked a professional milestone, Egoyan’s engagement with Armenian repertoire is a relatively recent development. In a 2024 interview with Dr. Araxie Altounian for her Torontohye/AGBU Toronto series ‘Musical minds’, Egoyan spoke about why she had historically avoided this music. Her parents, visual artists who emigrated from Egypt in 1962, raised her in a household where art was paramount, but Armenian music carried a heavy psychological burden. Her father’s parents were both orphans of the Armenian Genocide.
"Armenian music was a complicated issue for me," Egoyan said in the 2024 interview. "My father responded very emotionally to it... it was pretty unbearable how easily triggered he was to this music. Since I couldn’t deal with his emotional response... I avoided it."
She further noted that throughout her career as a contemporary music specialist, she preferred music that was "new" to her ears because it offered a "cleaner journey." She explained, "When you have a history of hearing something, it’s harder to hear it for the first time and find a true place for yourself within it."
The second half of the program centred on Komitas Vardapet’s ‘Seven Dances for Piano’ (1906). These works—including ‘Manushaki,’ ‘Yerangi,’ and ‘Shoror’—are pivotal in the Armenian canon for their unconventional treatment of the piano. Rather than using thick European harmonies, Komitas opted for a minimalist, transparent texture that imitates traditional folk instruments and drones.
Following Nariné Khachatryan’s ‘4 Monodien für Klavier’ (2011), the evening concluded with Egoyan’s own composition, Ghosts beneath my Fingertips (for Viva) (2020). Written for an augmented acoustic piano, the work layers live performance with electronic extensions and the recorded voice of Egoyan’s daughter, Viva. The piece uses fragments of Armenian folk material to explore the space between "pres-
ence and absence, novelty and lineage."
Following the music, musicologist Dr. Araxie Altounian provided a historical presentation. She explained that Komitas’s work to establish an Armenian national school was tragically cut short in April 1915 when he was arrested along with hundreds of Armenian intellectuals. This event, which marked the beginning of the genocide, left Komitas permanently traumatized; he spent the final 20 years of his life in psychiatric hospitals, leaving much of his work unfinished.
Altounian noted that the subsequent diaspora created a "cultural passport" out of music. In the absence of a material connection to the lost homeland, each generation of musicians adapted to their new environments—Lebanon, Germany, America, and Canada—creating a diverse range of styles.
Altounian concluded the evening by thanking the organizers and framing the recital as a testament to cultural vitality: "...[W]e are all richer through diversity. This conference is a testament and a celebration of that diversity.” ֍
Watch Egoyan's performance in its entirety on the University of Toronto Faculty of Music YouTube page.
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Խաչ-բառ
Crossword
5. (բայ) սլանալ, արշաւել, հոսիլ
7. (գոյ.) հանգիստի ժամանակամիջոց
8. (անաուն) Օնթարիոյի հայազգի խորհրդարանականը (էջ 5)
11. (գոյ.) սառած անուշ սերով՝ պտղահոյզով եւ այլն, սառնանուշ
14. (գոյ.) մորթի աղի ծորում, յոգնութիւն, ճիգ:
3. (գոյ.)
4.
12.
13.
16.
18.
Junior problem
Maral is thinking of an odd number less than 100. It is a multiple of five and also divisible by three. If the sum of its digits is also an odd number, what number is Maral thinking of?
Armen’s Math Corner
Senior problem
Ara paints the entire surface of a cube and then cuts it into 27 identical smaller cubes. Let X be the number of small cubes with exactly 3 painted faces, and let Y be the number of small cubes with exactly 2 painted faces. Find the sum X + Y.
September 19, 2026
Angus Glen Golf Club
BIRD PRICING
UNTIL JUNE 15TH
Early bird registrants are entered for a chance to win prizes - some valued at over $1000. AFTER
$
For Registration and more information, scan the QR code or contact office@stmarytoronto.ca
St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church Toronto, Ontario
UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church Parish Priests and the Board of Trustees of Toronto encourage and support students in pursuing higher education. The church believes that investing in future leaders will promote active involvement of youth in our church, and ensure a stronger and more engaged community. For this purpose, the church has established the University Scholarship-Award Program.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Applicants must live in the Province of Ontario, and be a Canadian Citizen or a Permanent Resident.
Applicants must be enrolled in an undergraduate program at a University/College in Ontario, as a student in second year or higher.
Scholarships are based on Grades (GPA 3.0 and above), merit and continuous involvement in St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church and/or the Armenian community in Toronto.
DEADLINE TO APPLY: OCTOBER 30th
CANDIDATES MAY APPLY FOR ONE OF THE FOLLOWING UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIP-AWARDS:
“St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church of Toronto University Scholarship-Award”, in any field of study. “Poochikian (Բուչիկեան) Family University Scholarship-Award”, in Health Sciences.
For more information and how to apply, please visit: https://www.stmarytoronto.ca/Scholarship-Award
