Eileen Khatchadourian: Meet the Armenian Björk

If my father was the dreamer, my mother was the pragmatic realist and a very wise woman. My father was eccentric to a point that he would wear red tennis shoes with his black suit and attend funerals, while my mother was the very classy elegant lady, never leaving the house without her red lipstick on. My family was well anchored in the Armenian diaspora community in Beirut, and as a kid, I remember that it was hard to be accepted by the Lebanese Arabs. We had different traditions, spoke Armenian, and went to other schools. My mother kept the family together during the war (she stopped working when she had her second child: she used to work in Banca di Roma). She suffered a lot without letting us suffer, she raised three kids almost on her own because my father was often stuck at the hospital in West Beirut and we wouldn’t be able to hear from him for days … until now I can’t imagine what my mother had been through. My father always told me, “music will save the world.” And when my mom became very sick, he used to put on a CD and listen to Pergolesi or Wagner, holding my mom’s hand.

My dad was Boghos Khatchadourian and my mom Anahid Terzian; they were the greatest parents. When I decided to be a performer — I was thirteen — my parents did not object to it. They let me follow my dream in Lebanon, Paris, or Abidjan or anywhere in the world. Although they are now gone, I feel their presence and their support in all I am doing. I hear their voice in every step I make. I miss them terribly. I miss my mother’s loud voice, I miss my father’s quiet and reassuring voice.

The Lebanese Armenian community has been always active in the field of music. Whom do you consider to be your teachers in music?

Gomidas and Sayat-Nova have been big inspirations to me, as to many other Armenian musicians. They were always on in my home. And of course, being a classical music lover, Aram Khachatourian has always been a reference. And I believe there is no Armenian Lebanese who has not been touched by Oror by Parsegh Ganatchian. But the biggest inspiration of all, was my fantastic piano teacher Sevan Karjian Balabanian, who made me love the piano.

In 2015 you performed at the Istanbul Congress Center, as part of the “In Memoriam” Concert, for the 100 Years Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. This seemed something fantastic — the commemoration of Armenian Genocide in Turkey in a Turkish location. What are your memories from that concert?

Oh My! One of my best experiences ever! But it was a bit scary, of course: I think I was the only performer that night, who openly talked about the Genocide on stage, in front of this Istanbul audience. It was an overwhelming feeling to perform in the land of my grandparents, who, when they were just kids, were forced to leave the country and barely survived the Genocide. To be there on stage and perform was tremendous also because it was a huge recognition of my people’s sufferings, although not official of course, but still a recognition from fellow artists and from the audience, it made me feel so great.

We performed an electro rock version of Der Voghormia looking into the eyes of the Armenian apostolic priest, and got a standing ovation from the 3,000 people there was a very moving moment. Sadly enough, Osman Kavala, who had organized this event to promote understanding and solidarity among different ethnic and religious communities in Turkey, is now one among many other political prisoners in Turkey. I am not sure this type of event would be tolerated in Turkey today.

In that concert you said you are happy to be in a country from which your ancestors come. Where are they from?

My grandfather on my father’s side, Aaron Khatchadourian, was from Kharpert. He was seven years old, when an Armenian Catholic priest saved him in the desert of Der Zor, where his mom died in front of his eyes. He was eventually sent to the Mekhitariste Congregation Boarding School in Sèvres, France. A couple of years later, he was sent to the Moorat Rafaelian College in Venice. He continued his studies in Rome and became a pediatrician. He met my grandmother Aroussiak in Rome, where she was studying piano at the Rome conservatory. They then moved to Aleppo, because my grandfather wanted to be near the Armenian people. He was known to treat poor people for free. He was also an active member of the AGBU of Aleppo.

My mother’s father, Baghdassar Terzian, was from Adana. After the Genocide, he ended up with his younger brother in the Ratisbonne orphanage in Jerusalem and both later moved to Beirut, where he met my grandmother Perouz, also originally from Adana. Baghdassar took care of his little brother and they remained very, very close to each other until the end of their lives. The Terzian family is very close to each other, they taught us to love and respect each other. Other surviving brothers ended up in Argentina, in France and in Armenia.

What about your concert in Armenia?

I had a mini acoustic concert with Raffi Vartanian, a fantastic American-Armenian musician and friend, in Armenia in 2012, which was a cute experience. I never had the pleasure to have a proper concert in Armenia.

 Now you live in Cambodia. How did you end up there?

My Swedish husband, Staffan Sörmark, works for an international organization and he was posted there, that’s why we moved to Cambodia. Now that I have lost my both parents shortly after moving to Cambodia I’d rather not talk about this difficult time. But on the whole, Cambodia has been good to me. I have had the opportunity to meet fantastic people and make amazing friends, whom I will miss dearly when I move to Colombia later this year.

Do you continue your musical activities there? Armenian songs should seem very exotic for Cambodians and their songs – to us.

The Covid pandemic hit not long after we arrived to Cambodia and with all movement restrictions it has unfortunately not been easy to organize musical activities. I did an acoustic recording with adorable pianist Meta Legita for a fundraising campaign for Lebanon, it was a beautiful moment of musical sharing. And I launched my EP “Lullaby for Kami” while here.

Cambodia is one of few countries with no Armenians. However, have you ever met any Armenian there?

You can count the number of Armenians in Cambodia on one hand. But yes, I made a beautiful Armenian friend from Armenia/Russia here, her name is Svetlana Sahakyan and I just met another Armenian friend from France, Anaïd Panossian, and we could have created a New Armenia, but now I am soon leaving so it will be up to them!