ARLINGTON, Mass. — Arguably, no American composer has enjoyed higher praise, been lauded by more musical luminaries, or been hailed as the “Prince of Music” quite like Alan Hovhaness.
On Sunday, June 9, at 3 p.m., the Armenian Cultural Foundation (ACF), as part of its annual Mirak Chamber Music Series, will present a concert in tribute to Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000) at the Robbins Memorial Town Hall, Arlington.
Born Alan Vaness Chakmakjian on March 8, 1911, to Harutiun Hovaness Chakmakjian, an Armenian chemistry professor at Tufts College, and Madeleine Scott, he changed his surname to Hovhaness in honor of his grandfather. He grew up in Arlington (5 Blossom Street), and it was within that nurturing environment of Arlington Public Schools that Hovhaness discovered his musical talent and even composed his first opera.
His journey from a local student to a globally recognized composer is a testament to Arlington’s role in fostering artistic growth. Upon graduation from Arlington High School in 1929, he studied under Leo Rich at Tufts and later under Frederick Converse at the New England Conservatory of Music. There, in 1932, he won the Conservatory’s Samuel Endicott prize for Composition with his Sunset Symphony (also known as Sunset Saga).
In the early 1940s, he served as the organist at St. James Armenian Church in Watertown. In 1942, he won a scholarship at Tanglewood to study under Czech composer Bohuslav Martini.
Hovhaness joined the faculty of Boston Conservatory in 1948, where he taught until 1951. He received Guggenheim Fellowships in 1953 and 1954 for composition. He went on to write scores for the Broadway play “The Flowering Peach” by Clifford Odets in 1954. He also created a ballet for Martha Graham (“Ardent Song”) and two scores for NBC documentaries on India and Southeast Asia (1955, 1957).
