World-renowned opera singer Isabel Bayrakdarian will perform songs of Gomidas and Sayat Nova at the sold-out Gala of the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge, MA, on Saturday, November 2, 2019. A versatile opera singer, and concert and recording artist, Ms. Bayrakdarian has performed to great acclaim with the premier orchestras of the world and will be celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the birth of Gomidas (1869–1935), the priest, musicologist, and choirmaster, with her performance at the NAASR Gala.

Accompanying her will be the Borromeo String Quartet, one of the most important string quartets of our time, and the faculty ensemble-in-residence at the New England Conservatory of Music. They have collaborated with many of today’s great composers and performers and work extensively with the Library of Congress, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

“We are honored that one of the foremost sopranos of our time will grace us with her presence,” said NAASR Chairman of the Board Yervant Chekijian. “Her performance with the Borromeo Quartet will be part of an evening we will long remember.”

NAASR’s 65th Anniversary Gala follows the Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting, on November 1, of NAASR’s spectacular, new, state-of-the-art global headquarters, named after Vartan Gregorian, President of the philanthropic Carnegie Corporation of New York. The Gala will celebrate NAASR’s 65 years of achievement and mark a new era as NAASR looks toward the future and welcomes the next generation to build a prosperous future for Armenian Studies. Vartan Gregorian will give the keynote address, and David Ignatius, Washington Post columnist and novelist, will be the master of ceremonies. 

Founded in 1955, NAASR is a world leader advancing Armenian Studies, connecting scholars of Armenian Studies with the public, and building community worldwide. To date, NAASR has financial commitments for $6.2 million of the $7 million project for its new headquarters. To learn more about NAASR, contact Sarah Ignatius, Executive Director, at hq@naasr.org or call 617-489-1610.

Photo Credits: Zach Mendez for "Isabel Bayrakdarian" and Richard Bowditch for "Borromeo String Quartet"