Such a unique visionary was Alan Hovhaness. Creator of an astonishingly vast musical catalogue, illuminator of the treasures of his Armenian heritage; a man of gentleness and humility who sought enoblement and high deed for all through his music.

Please visit us often to follow the exciting progress being made in the establishment of the most complete archive (now totalling over 3,700 individual items,) of Alan Hovhaness' correspondence, documents, recordings, interviews, videos, programmes, photographs, articles, and reminiscences of those who knew and worked with the composer, so that his ideals may bring light and peace to all.

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Coordinators of the Alan Hovhaness International Research Centre:

Alexan Zakyan

Halabian 11/34

375038 Yerevan, Armenia

mananapboATnetsys.am

Martin Berkofsky

The Cristofori Foundation

Postbox 288, 9206 Rogues Road

Casanova, VA

20139-0288 USA

hovhanesscentreATyahoo.com

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NEW ENGLAND TRIPTYCH HONORS ALAN HOVHANESS

Arlington, MA - New England celebrated and initiated the coming 100th Anniversary of American-Armenian composer, Alan Hovhaness.

Memorial events included the Arlington, Massachusetts, Hovhaness' hometown, unveiling and dedication of the first monument to the composer, a free memorial concert at the Arlington Town Hall, and a long-distance road running event called "All Men are Brothers." The run began at Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire and ended at Hovhaness’ boyhood home in Arlington.

Pianist Martin Berkofsky, who during important formative years, greatly benefited from his personal contact and communication with Alan Hovhaness, is now a recognized champion and interpreter of Hovhaness' music. He began his pilgrimage by climbing Mount Monadnock, New Hampshire's 3,165-foot peak of which the composer himself wrote: "I used to climb many mountains in New Hampshire...in 1932 or around that year I played piano in a trio in Shattuck Inn at the foot of Mt. Monadnock and I climbed the mountain every day between the noon concert and evening concert." (Letter to Walter Harding, Secretary, Thoreau Society, March 20, 1987, quoted with permission.) Hovhaness regarded mountains as meeting places between man and God and wrote many works including a symphonic movement "Monadnock," named after mountains.

The composer's father, Haroutioun Chakmakjian, Harvard graduate, professor at Tufts University, and author of the first Armenian-English dictionary, was known to have walked 15 miles a day in his later years. He was affectionately known to his Arlington neighbors as "Professor."

The title of the pilgrimage, "All Men are Brothers," is taken from Hovhaness' 11th Symphony of that name. Hovhaness wrote, "Let all unite in peace on our tiny planet."

Berkofsky celebrated his 2003 60th birthday by running 880 miles across the American Heartland, raising over $80,000 for cancer research (www.celebrateliferun.com.) His pilgrimage from the Mount Monadnock summit started on Saturday, May 2, and continued, crossing the New Hampshire border to Massachusetts along highways 124, 119, 225. The final miles in Massachusetts were run on the Minuteman Bike Path from Bedford, through Lexington, and then to the Hovhaness family home at 5 Blossom Street in Arlington on Wednesday, May 13.

The second event of this memorial triptych took place on Sunday, May 17th at 2:00 p.m. when the Alan Hovhaness Memorial was unveiled and dedicated at the Jefferson Cutter House on Massachusetts Ave. The conclusion of this Hovhaness triptych took place at the Arlington, Masschusetts, Town Hall at 3:00 p.m. in a free, open-to-the-public concert directed by Dr. Pasquale Tassone. Featured performers included pianists Martin Berkofsky and Ani Hovsepian. Both Arlington High School ensembles and soloists Cynthia Forbes, cello, Orlando Cela, flute, and Sylvie Zakarian, marimba, performed works by Hovhaness as well as other works including the world premiere of a work dedicated to Hovhaness entitled “Dzon.”

During the course of his "All Men are Brothers" run, Martin Berkofsky broadcast from the Alan Hovhaness Special Event Station, W1H. Inspired by Hovhaness' love of astronomy, station W1H directed its signals to the moon, which were then reflected and received in Switzerland, where the "All Men are Brothers" Symphony No. 11 was completed.

The symphonic score of Symphony No. 11 was carried by Berkofsky from the Mt. Monadnock summit to the Hovhaness/Chakmakjian home, autographed by many along the way of his run, and is now part of the permanent Hovhaness collection (a sister collection of the Alan Hovhaness International Research Centre in Yerevan, Armenia.) at the Armenian Cultural Foundation in Arlington, MA. Please contact the Armenian Cultural Foundation at 781-646-3090 or acf.hmh@verizon.net for information on how this collection of over 3,000 Hovhaness documents may be viewed by scholars and researchers.

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========WARNING========

WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING

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========FRAUDULENT RESEARCHERS/WEBSITES========

====PLEASE PROTECT VALUABLE HISTORICAL RESEARCH ITEMS====

Private collectors misrepresenting themselves either as our representatives and researchers, or claiming to be authentic or "official" "Hovhaness Websites," Hovhaness Facebook pages, Hovhaness My Space pages, etc., have been collecting and requesting Hovhaness research materials to be sent directly to them.

The latest deceptive web page to appear, "Hovhaness Centennial Committee" under the name of a "Laurence O. McKinney, Uncle Sam, Arlington, MA," has no validity or standing. This site may also appear under the domains "hovhanesscentennialdotcom, hovhanesscentennialdotorg, hovhanesscommitteedotcom, hovhanesscommitteedotorg. This is all the work of Mr. McKinney's imagination. (Recently Mr. McKinney was seen, before an aghast Arlington, Massachusetts Town Hall meeting, wildly gesticulating and proclaiming that he "knew more about marijuana than anyone else in the room.") His page is hosted by "Hovhanessdotcom" website which is neither trustworthy nor creditable because of its continued posting of biased and misleading materials.

THE ALAN HOVHANESS COMMEMORATIVE COMMITTEE

whose members are drawn from the Arlington Historical Society, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, the Armenian Cultural Foundation, the Cristofori Foundation, and the Alan Hovhaness International Research Foundation, are the only recognised and legitimate Arlington, MA, Alan Hovhaness organisation.

Items collected by non-legitimate individuals fall into private hands. They are not shared with researchers, scholars, music lovers, or with our associate archives at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., USA; University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, USA; or the Armenian Cultural Foundation in Arlington, Massachusetts, USA.

Please exercise extreme caution if approached for valuable items by a questionable source which can not authentically identify itself as the Alan Hovhaness International Research Centre, the Cristofori Foundation, or the Alan Hovhaness Commemorative Committee which are the central clearing houses for research materials sent to The Hovhaness Centre and its three affiliate archives.

The only address to which our research materials should be forwarded is:

The Cristofori Foundation

Alan Hovhaness International Research Centre

Postbox 288

9206 Rogues Road

Casanova, VA

20139-0288

USA

Thank you.

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CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE HOVHANESS CENTRE

The Alan Hovhaness International Research Centre gratefully accepts tax-deductible (in the U.S.A.,) contributions to assist its construction fund through the Cristofori Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organisation as defined by the United States Internal Revenue Service. Contributions may be made through the Cristofori Foundation's PayPal account:

presidentATcristofori.org

Please E-Mail the Cristofori Foundation or Mr. Alexan Zakyan at either of the above addresses for additional information. (Please replace AT with @, changed here to prevent spamming.)

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GUESTBOOK, ALAN HOVHANESS INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CENTRE