Alan Hovhaness Book to be Launched at Glendale Central Library

GLENDALE  – Abril Books will host the book release event of Alan Hovhaness: Unveiling One of the Great Composers of the 20th Century on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, at 6:00pm at the Glendale Central Library Auditorium – 222 E. Harvard St. in Glendale, California. The book will be introduced by Harout Arakelian and presented by William Holst.  Admission is free. For more information, call (818) 243-4112. Free 3-hour parking is available with validation across the street at the Marketplace Parking Structure at 120 Artsakh Ave.

Alan Hovhaness was one of the most prolific classical composers of the 20th century. He created over five hundred compositions and sixty-seven symphonies. He was a master of counterpoint and an intellectual, yet he had many different sides to his personality, from being a polite, distinguished gentleman to a wild savage, idealistic and old-fashioned man to a sexy womanizer. He understood human nature and emotion, and that is why his music touches people’s hearts and is loved by them, even though his music is built on an intellectual foundation.

In the year 2000, after Alan’s death, his widow Hinako Fujihara-Hovhaness started writing poems, which was the only way she could cope with her great loss. They were written with her limited English, yet they were spontaneous and poignant, straight from her heart. After she had written hundreds of poems, it was not enough. Hinako started writing stories from my memories about Alan, events she had experienced with him.

Hinako met Alan in 1974 at a piano recital. They married in 1977, and from that point forward, she became his closest collaborator—both artistically and professionally. She founded and ran Hovhaness-Fujihara Music Company, managed Alan’s financial affairs, produced numerous recordings of his works, and performed in several of his symphonies. Hinako devoted her later years to preserving Alan’s musical legacy. This book represents the culmination of that effort—a deeply personal account of the man behind the music, told by the person who knew him best.

William Holst is the stepson of Alan Hovhaness and son of Hinako. After his mother’s death in 2022, he became the president of Hovhaness-Fujihara Music Company. His career change from the engineering environment to the classical music world has been a major adjustment to understand the different mindsets. Regardless, his objective is to uncover Alan Hovhaness’ personal life, so that all will know that he was not only a great composer, but also a great man.

Harout Arakelian is a community historian dedicated to preserving historic Armenian sound recordings from the 78-rpm era (1898-1956). He is a leading expert in this field, delivering lectures such as “Armenian Music of America” and “Ode to Spring – Armenian 78s Recorded in California”. Harout has been a guest lecturer at UCLA and has presented for the Armenian Institute in London. He has contributed to several publications and co-authored the biography “Zabelle Panosian – I Am Servant of Your Voice” published in 2022.