Armenian Genocide Centenary

Commemoration Committee

AGCCC UK

Timetable of Events

for 2015

www.agccc.org.uk

www.facebook.com/agcccuk

www.twitter.com/AGCCC_UK

We invite the UK-wide Community to

support the Centenary events and stand in

solidarity with recognition of the Armenian

Genocide and respect the memory of 1.5

million martyrs with the following statement:

“I REMEMBER AND DEMAND”

Events are shown with their respective dates including the organiser

or the relevant City/Community

DATE EVENT

Sunday

29 March

Organised by the Cardiff Parish of the

Armenian Church

Conference

University of Cambridge, Fitzwilliam

College “Genocide Denial and

Consequences: 100 years after the

Armenian Holocaust” conference with

Vicken Cheterian as one of the two

keynote speakers

Sunday

5 April

BBC Radio 4 - Sunday 5 April, 7.10-7.50am

BBC Radio 4

For this special edition for Easter Sunday,

Sunday will be making the 100th

Anniversary

of the Armenian Genocide. Presenter Caroline

Wyatt, will explore the story of how, in 1915,

hundreds of thousands of Armenians were

forced to leave their homes in the Ottoman

Empire. Many were killed or died from

starvation or disease during the deportations.

On Easter Day in 1870 the Holy Trinity

Armenian Church of Manchester opened its

doors for the first time. Sunday visits this

community and its legacy. Plus other religious

news and current affairs.

Thursday

9 April

Organised by SOAS Armenian Society / AYF

London

Denialism

Brunei Gallery - 7:30 PM - A lecture on how to

counter the arguments of denialists

DATE EVENT

Friday

10 April

The SSE Arena Wembley 8:30 PM

One of Alt Rock’s most ground-breaking bands,

SYSTEM OF A DOWN, will be heading to London in

April 2015 to play an exceptionally special and

important show on 10th April 2015 at The SSE

Arena, Wembley as part of their ‘Wake Up The

Souls’ World Tour. This show will be their first

indoor show in the UK since 2005. Tickets

available on

http://www.ssearena.co.uk/events/detail/s

ystem-of-a-down

Friday

10 April -

Thursday

16 April

Organiser St Yeghiche Parish

Pilgrimage to Italy and the Basilica on

Vatican City

Pilgrimage to Italy on the Occasion of 100th

Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

Armenian Divine Liturgy will be offered at St

Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City on Sunday 12

April 2015, under the auspices of His Holiness

Pope Francis, for commemorating the

Centenary of the Armenian Genocide. The

Very Rev Fr Aren Shaheenian together with

St Yeghiche Armenian Church Parish Council

have organised a 6 day pilgrimage to Rome

and Venice. For full details of the program,

please visit our website on www.styeghiche.org.uk

Monday

13 April

Organiser RP Musical Management

Spring Remembrance Concert

Purcell Room – Southbank

http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/spring-

remembrance-concert2015-89717?dt=2015-04-13

Dedicated to the Centenary of the Armenian

Genocide, with the Khachaturian Trio and

guest artists Clifton Harrison, Rosemary

Taylor and Sam Pearce. Program includes

Komitas, Mirzoyan, Dohnanyi, Khachaturian,

Rachmaninov and Babadjanian.

Sponsored by AGBU London Trust and AGCCC

UK

DATE EVENT

Tuesday

14 -

Thursday

16 April

Organised by the Armenian Embassy

to the UK

International Book Fair London ARMENIAN

PAVILION

This year the Armenian Pavilion will participate

for the third year at the London International

Book Fair and for the first time with a big

integrated pavilion in the prestigious central

hall of Olympia. Publishers and writers from the

Republic of Armenia and Diaspora will come

together at this international forum. The

Armenian Genocide and its Centenary will be

the central theme of the Armenian Pavilion.

Saturday

18 April

11:00 am

Organiser AGCCC UK

Annual Procession

The following route was finalised after three

months of negotiations with the authorities.

Due to a large number of road works and

capital projects, several proposed routes

were unacceptable.

Assembly at corner of Piccadilly and

Hamilton Place, Route: Piccadilly, St James’s,

Pall Mall, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, The

Cenotaph – Wreath Laying and Prayers

ceremony – Handing in the Centenary

Petition at 10 Downing Street - Continue

back to Horse Guards Ave, Embankment, New

Bridge Street, St Paul’s Cathedral, where at

14:00 Cannon Tricia Willas will address the

public on a PA system from the top of the

Western Stairs. After a short expression of

gratitude, the procession will disperse.

Everyone is encouraged to make their way

to Southwark Cathedral for the next event.

(Distance to walk is 0.9 miles taking 20 Min.

Postcode SE1 9DA)

START POSTCODE: W1J 7DR (corner

of Hamilton Place & Piccadilly)

to

The Cenotaph then to St Paul's

Cathedral EC4M 8AD

DATE EVENT

Saturday

18 April

2:30 pm

Organiser AGCCC UK

Centenary Commemoration at Southwark

Cathedral

Public Notice: Southwark Cathedral has a

capacity of up to 1000. Please arrive early in order

to avoid disappointment. Doors will open at 14:30;

program will end at 16:00.

Welcoming remarks by the Dean of

Southwark, The Very Reverend Andrew Nunn

Key Note Speech: Dr Charles Tannock MEP

and Patron of AGCCC UK

Special guest speaker: Geoffrey Robertson

QC (Doughty Street Chambers)

Cultural interlude: Hasmik Papian performing

Handel’s “Lascia Chi’o Pianga” and “Groong”

by Komitas, accompanied by Victoria Walker

on cello.

Special guest speaker: H.E. Dr Armen

Sarkissian, Ambassador of the Republic of

Armenia to the United Kingdom

Other dignitaries and guests have also been

invited.

http://cathedral.southwark.anglican.org/worship/

calendar-by-type.php?t=3

ADMITTANCE IS FREE, BUT PLEASE BOOK

YOUR TICKETS VIA EVENTBRITE TO

AVOID DISAPPOINTEMENT:

southwark-memorial.eventbrite.co.uk

Saturday

18 April

All Day

Organiser AGCCC UK

Digital advertising in London

Digital advertising promoting the Centenary

of the Armenian Genocide and information

about the denialist policy of Turkey and its

western allies will be displayed together with

publicity about recognition of the Armenian

Genocide by over 22 countries, the

International Association of Genocide

Scholars and the European Parliament

The van will circulate in streets of Central

London all day

DATE EVENT

Sunday 19

April

Organised by Cardiff Parish of the Armenian

Church

BBC Radio 4

8:10 am

Sunday Worship from Christ Parish Church,

Carmarthen. This service will be linked to the

centenary with Armenian themes and

an interview with Canon Patrick Thomas.

Monday

20 April

Organised by Cardiff Parish of the

Armenian Church

Lecture

Cheltenham GL50 4AZ, University of

Gloucestershire, Francis Close Campus

Lecture on

“An Inconvenient Genocide: 100 Years of

Holocaust Denial “

by James Derounian, Principal Lecturer

Tuesday

21 April -

Friday 24

April

Organiser AGCCC UK

Centenary Vigil 100 hrs Opposite

Downing Street

“100 hours of hunger strike

and vigil by 100”!

Outside Downing Street in Whitehall starting

at noon on 20th

and ending 4pm on 24th

April.

Hope it will raise some publicity about

Genocide denial and consistent support by

the British government for Turkey’s denialist

and anti-Armenian position.

Tuesday

21 April

Wed

22 April

Organiser: UCL Armenian Society

Supported by AGCCC UK

Lectures at UCL – details will be announced

later

DATE EVENT

Tuesday

21 April

to

Saturday

16 May

“I Wish to Die Singing” at Finborough

Theatre

Supported by AGCCC UK

A play Devised by Neil McPherson, directed

by Tommo Fowler

The world premiere - “Who, after all, today

remembers the annihilation of the Armenians?” –

Adolf Hitler, 1939. Commemorating the centenary

of the Armenian genocide, the world premiere of

a documentary drama. "On the night of Saturday,

April 24th 1915, the Armenians of Constantinople

were snoring in a calm sleep – exhausted from

their Easter celebrations – while in the Central

Police Station a secret project was in motion..."

The Armenian Genocide was the first genocide of

the 20th century, perpetrated by the Ottoman

Turkish Government against the Armenians, a

Christian minority in a Muslim state. One and a

half million people died. The word 'genocide' itself

was invented by Raphael Lemkin in 1943 to

describe the events of 1915. Adolf Hitler used the

Armenian Genocide as a direct inspiration for the

Holocaust during the Second World War. To this

day, the Turkish government refuses to admit that

any genocide ever took place. Commemorating

the exact centenary of the deportations that

began the Armenian Genocide, I Wish To Die

Singing – Voices From The Armenian

Genocide is a controversial documentary drama

uncovering the forgotten secrets and atrocities

of a denied genocide – featuring eye-witness

reportage, images, music, poetry from

Armenia's greatest poets, and verbatim

survivors testimonies from one of the greatest

historical injustices of all time.

http://www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk/productio

ns/2015/i-wish-to-die-singing.php

Thursday

23 April

Organised by AGCCC UK

Exhibition and Educational program school

(Name and location of school will not be

publicised)

Presenting the Armenian Genocide to 5th

and

6th

form students (aged 11 to 18); Dana

Blackburn, PhD candidate from Birmingham

University will present a brief history of the

Armenian Genocide, parallels with the Jewish

Holocaust and discuss related contemporary

issues. An exhibition will be on display.

DATE EVENT

Thursday

23 April

Organised by The Mother See of Holy

Etchmiadzin and the Great House of Cilicia

The Sanctification of the victims of the 1915

Genocide as martyred saints. The ceremonies of

the sanctification of the victims of the Genocide as

Martyrs will take place in Holy Etchmiadzin on the

23 of April at 16:15 (local time). The ceremony is

expected to end at 19:15 (symbolising the year of

the Genocide).

It was decided that the Church bells of the Mother

See of Holy Etchmiadzin and those of the Great

House of Cilicia will resound simultaneously

ringing 100 times commemorating the 100th

anniversary of the Genocide. They jointly request

that all our churches across Armenia and the

Diaspora to arrange for their church bells to ring in

every parish at Yerevan-time 19:15 (i.e. 16:15

London time).

St Yeghiche Armenian Church will be

broadcasting live; starting at 1:15-4:15 London

time and at the end will be ringing its bells 100

times. Similarly, we are approaching as many

Christian and Oriental Churches to join in this

special ceremony, provided that it does not

interfere with their scheduled program.

Finally, at the conclusion of the 100 rings of the

bells, the following two hymns will be sung

“Soorp, Soorp” and “Hayr Mer” in Holy

Etchmiadzin and the Great House of Cilicia. If

possible, please coordinate your local choirs to

sing these hymns at the conclusion of the ringing

of the bells.

Thursday

23 April

Organised by AGCCC UK

Vigil at Armenian Genocide Memorial Tree

16:00 to 19:00 Vigil at Ealing Green,

Candlelit vigil, with various speakers and

readings.

DATE EVENT

Friday 24

April

11:00 am

Organised by St Yeghiche Armenian Church

Parish

Divine Liturgy at St Yeghiche Church

Cranley Gardens, London SW7 3BB

11:00 am, following the service everyone will

be encouraged to make their way to the vigil

in front of the Turkish Embassy. Please see

below

Friday 24

April

Organised by AYF London, Supported by

AGCCC UK

Vigil in front of the Turkish Embassy London

13:30 to 18:30 Vigil in front of

Turkish Embassy

Belgravia Square,

London SW17 1BW

Friday 24

April

Organised by Dublin Mission Parish, Ireland

Exhibition

Photographic exhibition at Hotel Dun

Laoghaire followed at dusk by the release of

100 lanterns into the sky

Friday 24

April

Organised by AGCCC UK

Memorial Concert

The Sinfonietta

Featuring music by renowned Armenian

Composers

A concert commemorating the Centenary of

the Armenian Genocide

7:30 PM at St James’s Church, 197 Piccadilly,

London W1J 9LL

Armenian Genocide Centenary Memorial Concert

with Sinfonietta orchestra performing works from

Khachaturian, Hovhaness, Harutunyan, Komitas &

Mirzoyan.

Ani Batikian Solo violin

Johan Michael Katz conductor

Iva Fleischhansova Leader

http://www.sjp.org.uk/evening-concerts.html

Tickets are available on at £20 and £10

https://agcccuk.eventbrite.co.uk

Prominent guests are invited to this event.

DATE EVENT

Friday 24

April

Trinity Church, Derby Street, Leek

Out of Darkness into the Light

Multimedia evening to mark the Centenary of

the Armenian Genocide and to remember

other genocides, including testimony of

righteous persons

With Tigran Aleksanyan playing the duduk

Address: Russell Street, Leek, ST13 5JF

Tel. 01538 398483

Saturday

25 April

Organised by AGCCC UK

Memorial Concert

The Sinfonietta

7.30 PM, United Reformed Church, 21

Bluhouse Lane, Oxted, Surrey, RH8 0AA

Guest of Honour: Tandridge District Council’s

Chairman, Councillor Elizabeth Parker

Tickets available at £24 on

https://oxted.eventbrite.co.uk

Saturday

25 April

Organised by Holy Trinity Church Parish of

Manchester

Commemorative Evening

4:00 PM the Holy Trinity Armenian Church, 229

Upper Brook Street Manchester M13 0FY

DATE EVENT

Saturday

25 April

Organised by Coptic Orthodox Church of UK,

Supported by AGCCC UK

Fundraising concert by the Coptic Church

choir dedicated to the Centenary of

Armenian Genocide

6:00 PM at St Yeghiche Church. The

organisers will hold a special concert with

several prominent guests. Members of the

Armenian Community are also invited to

support this charitable concert.

Saturday

25 April

Organised by K. Tahta Armenian Community

Sunday School

6.30 PM – Twyford High School

Armenian Genocide Centenary

Commemoration evening – special program

reflecting on the life of K. Tahta the founding

benefactor.

Open to Public

Saturday

25 April

Tetbury, Gloucestershire

Laying of Wreath in memory of the Armenian

Genocide victims in the Church World War 1

memorial

Special prayers will also be delivered on the

Sunday during the church service.

April 2015

Publication by AGCCC UK

Ethnic Armenians In Service of The Ottoman

Empire in 1909 by Hratch Kouyoumjian

Contributions by: Baroness Caroline Cox

Harout Sassounian

Herve’ Georgelin

DATE EVENT

Sunday

26 April

Organised by AGCCC UK

Community Commemoration of the

Centenary of the Armenian Genocide

3:00 – 4.30 PM, St Yeghiche Church, Cranley

Gardens, London, SW7 3BB with guest

speakers, cultural interludes and participation

by staff or children from Armenian Language

schools.

Sunday

26 April

Organised by Mission Parish of Dublin

Remembrance Service at Tanney Church

Sunday

26 April

Bradford Cathedral

Worship and Prayer Vigil for persecuted

Christians in the Middle East

and commemoration of the Armenian

Genocide

Saturday

2 May

Organised by St Mary’s Church South

Woodford, Supported by AGCCC UK

Armenian Genocide Centenary Memorial

Service

207 High Road, South Woodford E18 2PA

The service includes speakers from the

Armenian Church, the embassy and the

community as well as Armenian liturgy.

DATE EVENT

Sunday

3 May

Organised by the Armenian Embassy

Concert at the Royal Festival Hall – Music of

Armenia

Sunday 3 May, 7.30pm, Royal Festival Hall

Part of the Armenian Genocide Centenary

Commemorative Concerts In the year marking the Centennial of the

Armenian Genocide, musicians from around

the world will commemorate this important

anniversary through their music and art in a

series of events taking place from LA and New

York to Yerevan. In London, the Philharmonia

Orchestra is joined by two superlative artists:

violinist Sergey Khachatryan and soprano

Anush Hovhannisyan for a special concert.

Tickets are available at £48 £40 £31 £25 £20

£15 £12 £9 and can be booked through the

Philharmonia Orchestra Box Office on

FREEPHONE 0800 652 6717 (Mon-Fri from

9.30am) or online at

www.philharmonia.co.uk. (Transaction fees

apply*: phone £2.75; online £1.75)

www.southbankcentre.co.uk

Saturday

9 May

Organised by Oxford University Armenian

Society

Concert

7:30 PM Magdalen College Auditorium

'Remembering Komitas': a Concert to

Commemorate the Centenary

of the Armenian Genocide.

Ani Batikian (violin), Anais Heghoyan (mezzo-

soprano),

Artur Bobikyan (piano),

Varazdat Khachatryan (piano),

Shakeh Major Tchilingirian (solo dance) and

Oxford Armenian Choir.

DATE EVENT

Saturday

16 May

Organised by Heritage and Cultural

Committee of ACC

Exhibition of paintings on the subject of the

Armenian Genocide – Navasartian Centre,

223 Northfields Avenue, London W13 9QU

Art expert Shahen Khachatryan specially

invited to give a lecture on “Genocide in

Armenian Fine Arts”

Presenting works by Hovhanes Ayvazovski,

Vadges Surenian, Gevorg Bashinjaghian,

Yeghishe Tadevosyan and other artists that

were created as a consequence of the

slaughter of 1894-96. High quality images of

paintings on the Armenian Genocide by

Martiros Saryan, Vona Khojabekyan and

others will be featured.

Many Armenian Artists were left orphans

after the genocide but managed to study and

succeed in Europe and in the USA. Arshile

Gorkey, Levon Tutujian, Khoren Ter Harutyan,

Carzou, Jansem, Kero Antoyan, Arakel Partik,

Hovakim Hovhannisyan were among such

artists.

The Exhibition may be displayed at

Edinburgh later in the month.

May

Organised by Cardiff Parish of the Armenian

Church

St David's Cathedral, Pembrokeshire, Wales

(Cardiff Mission Parish)

Unveiling of Genocide Memorial stone tablet

in the presence of Archbishops,

Bishops and dignitaries from both churches in

appreciation

of the Church of Wales recognition and their

ongoing annual prayers

Specific date in May to be confirmed.

DATE EVENT

Monday 8

June

Organised by AGCCC UK and UCL Armenian

Students Society

Lecture by Robert Fisk of The Independent

6:30 PM – UCL

Title: “After the Centenary of the Armenian

Genocide”

Sunday

12 July

Organised by the Armenian Institute with

Alexander Chaushian

In Memoriam Concert with international

musicians

Wigmore Hall

To mark the centenary of the Armenian

Genocide of 1915, the Armenian Institute, in

cooperation with Yerevan–born, London–

based cellist Alexander Chaushian, will be

hosting a special concert in London in

Summer 2015. The Centenary Concert will be

held at the prestigious Wigmore Hall on July

12 and will present a programme of Armenian

chamber music with Armenian soloists and

their friends.

One hundred years after the Ottoman Empire

undertook the enterprise of wiping out its

Armenian population, there is today an

independent Republic of Armenia and also a

thriving diaspora spread across the globe.

The world–class soloists who will be

performing on the 12th July include:

Kim Kashkashian, viola

Sergey Khachatryan, violin

Lucine Khachatryan, piano

Vahan Mardirossian, piano

Levon Chilingirian, violin

Sergey Babayan, piano

Steven Isserlis, cello

Alexander Chaushian, cello

Yevgeny Sudbin, piano

DATE EVENT

Wed 30

September

Organised by AGCCC UK

Memorial Concert

7:30 PM Cadogan Hall 5 Sloane Terrace,

London SW1X 9DQ

The special program includes Orpheus

Sinfonia Orchestra. Names of performers and

details of the program will be announced

later.

Saturday 7

November

Organised by AGBU London

Concert

St John’s Smith Square, London

Centenary Commemoration Concert by AGBU

London Chamber Orchestra,

featuring Armenian soloists from various

countries.

Thursday

18 and

Wed 19

December

Organised by London Armenian Opera

Britten Theatre, Royal College of Music

Performances of Davit Bek opera

Projects

requiring

additional

funding

Supported by AGCCC UK

Documentary Film

Based on the life of Aram Khachaturian –

Director Tony Palmer, producer Zepyur

Batikian.

AGCCC has allocated £10,000 towards this

documentary to help promote the project for

fundraising and publicity. We hope to secure

further funding from the Arts Council and

other foundations as well as encourage the

community to assist in funding.

Other events organised by AGCCC UK will be

announced in due course

Visit Armenia and Artsakh with Baroness Caroline Cox’s HART Foundation

Dear Reader

Thank you for taking the time to review the Centenary events

organised by AGCCC UK.

Further events are in the pipeline and will be publicised in future

updates.

We would greatly appreciate your support in every sense. The

total cost of the program will be around £200,000. We rely on

the generosity of our supporters to help us realise our

objectives.

The Turkish government has been actively working to divert the

attention of the World Community from focusing on the

Centenary of the Armenian Genocide to the commemorations at

Gallipoli, by their cynical act of changing the traditional date for

commemorations from 25th to 24

th April, the International Day of

commemoration of the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the

Ottoman Empire.

The AGCCC UK bank account details are shown below.

Donations will be welcomed through direct transfers or by

sending a cheque to:

AGCCC, P.O. Box 72005, London NW6 9RT

AGCCC bank account

Bank: Barclays Bank

Acc no: 33408221

Sort Code: 20-47-34

Donations can also be accepted by PayPal via our website at

www.agccc.org.uk