BURBANK, Calif. — On November 20, a commemorative evening dedicated to Komitas Vardapet took place organized by the Zvartnots Cultural Committee of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church of North America. Despite the extremely unfavorable weather conditions, Hampar Hall of the Diocese was nearly full.
The opening address was delivered by Dr. Simon Simonian, chairman of Zvartnots. He stated, “We have gathered to commemorate the memory of the Armenian composer, singer, musician-ethnographer, musicologist, choirmaster, collector of folklore, poet, pedagogue, lecturer, and one of the founding members of the first international musical society, and the prelate of all Armenian song – Komitas Vardapet.”
The main speaker of the day was Very Rev. Yeremia Abgaryan, who has a unique voice and interesting style. He touched upon the biography of Komitas (Soghomon Soghomonian), who was born on September 26, 1869, in the city of Kütahya. At the age of one, he lost his mother, and a few years later, he lost his father.
In 1881, the Diocesan deputy of Kütahya, Gevorg Vardapet Derdzakian, traveled to Echmiadzin to be ordained as bishop. According to the instruction of Catholicos of All Armenians Gevorg V, he was supposed to take a mellifluous orphan young boy with him to Holy Echmiadzin to study at the Gevorkian Theological Seminary. Soghomon was chosen from among about 20 orphans, and a new life began for Komitas.
In 1896, with a scholarship granted by the philanthropist Alexander Mantashev, he departed for Berlin, and in 1899, he graduated from the Philosophy Department of the Fredrich Wilhelm University and the Richard Schmidt private conservatory.
Fr. Abgaryan recalled that Komitas delivered numerous lectures on Armenian music in a number of cities in Europe and the East (Paris, Berlin, Zurich, Geneva, Lausanne, Venice, Cairo, etc.).
