GLENDALE — The Lark Musical Society raised approximately $200,000 at its annual fundraising dinner held recently at the Jonathan Club in downtown Los Angeles honoring philanthropists Joe and Joyce Philibosian Stein. Lark is gathering funds to convert a 4,000 sq. ft. building into the Armenian Cultural Museum where Armenian culture and its rich history, heritage, and the arts will be celebrated. The museum will showcase themed lectures and exhibit original Armenian historical documents and treasures that go back hundreds of years. The goal is to raise $2.5 million to make the museum a reality.
“We were delighted to have honored Joe and Joyce Stein who are true humanitarians, having raised millions of dollars for scholarships for Armenian students and for supporting the arts and music,” said Lark Chairman of the Board Andy Torosyan. “We thank all those who attended our annual fundraiser and for contributing to Lark’s dream of an Armenian Cultural Museum.”
On display at the fundraising event were nine traditional Armenian costumes, each representing a different village. The event also featured one of a very few known inscribed Armenian Orphan Rugs, woven by orphans of the genocide about a century ago. Among the less than 20-recorded Orphan rugs currently in existence in various museums and private collections, only 5 contain inscriptions woven directly into the rug.
The roughly 6-foot-by-4-foot rug is composed of over a half million hand-tied knots and inscribed to someone who aided the Armenian orphans in Ghazir, Syria after the genocide by the Ottoman Turks in 1915. This rug is currently owned by Mr. Torosyan and will eventually be on permanent display at Lark’s Armenian Cultural Museum in Glendale. The rug shall serve as a symbol of survival and a civilized way of life.
Lark Musical Society is a nonprofit organization based in Glendale. Lark has actively served the community since 1994 by delivering the highest quality education in classical music to thousands of children, bringing to life hundreds of world class performances, commissioning dozens of world premiere musical works based on Armenian themes and publishing over thirty musical treatises. Lark is one of the most active organizations in the Diaspora working to preserve and enrich the Armenian culture.
To commemorate the centennial of the Armenian Genocide, Lark embarked on a journey to bring 100 events to the community, demonstrating the rebirth of a nation that survived Genocide. Lark has brought to life 90 events to date which included Ian Krouse’s Armenian Requiem, Serj Tankian’s 100 Years Symphony, Tigran Mansourian’s Requiem, and four nights of the beloved Anoush Opera.
Lark aims to make Glendale a destination for all lovers of Armenian culture by bringing to life a cultural museum in the heart of the Armenian Diaspora. It will also be a place for non-Armenian neighbors to learn more about Armenian culture, traditions and the arts. For more information please contact Lark Musical Society at 818-500-999, or visit http://www.larkmusicalsociety.com.
