Concert Tribute to Chomsky at MIT Features Armenian Composer

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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Noted linguist and political activist Noam Chomsky is scheduled to attend a special concert in his honor, along with dozens of family, friends and colleagues, at MIT’s Kresge Auditorium, on January 22.

There will be performances of music dedicated to Chomsky and speeches by noted scientists and speakers from MIT and Harvard. Chomsky, considered today to be one of the world’s leading intellectuals, became prominent half a century ago for his theory of generative grammar, which transformed the study of linguistics and profoundly influenced other fields, such as psychology, computer science and philosophy. He is also known worldwide as a leading political dissident and peace activist. Chomsky’s honorary concert will feature music dedicated to Chomsky and songs written on Chomsky’s words by composer Edward Manukyan.

Prominent linguists David Pesetsky of MIT and Gennaro Chierchia, the head of the Linguistics Department at Harvard, will take the stage with speeches about Chomsky’s contribution to linguistics and world ideas. The program will also include music dedicated to Nobel-laureates James D. Watson, Steven Weinberg and others. The performers include Sarita Uranovsky (violin), Molly Walker (clarinet), Lyndi Williams (soprano) and Hisako Hiratsuka (piano).

The concert will start at 7 p.m. Tickets are available from: http://gsc.mit.edu/chomsky.

The event is co-sponsored by MIT Graduate Student Council and MIT Lecture Series.

Edward Manukyan is an Armenian-born composer from Southern California. Hailed by conductor Loris Tjeknavorian as “the most brilliant Armenian composer of his generation,” Manukyan has dedicated a considerable number of his works to eminent scientists. Recently, he has been promoting wider appreciation for sciences through his original Musical Tribute to Scientists project, which includes dedications to some of the greatest minds of our time. Manukyan is the author of a number of orchestral and chamber works, many of which have been performed on the international scene. For additional information about Manukyan and the Noam Chomsky Honorary Concert, visit www.EdwardManukyan.com.

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