‘ARMENIA 100’: Judith Lynn Stillman’s world set for world premiere to commemorate Genocide Centenary

“ARMENIA 100: A Musical, Theatrical, and Artistic Tribute to Armenian Culture in Commemoration of the Genocide Centenary,” with a roster of Armenian luminaries in the arts and internationally renowned composer and pianist Judith Lynn Stillman as artistic director, will be presented on April 22, at the Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts at Rhode Island College in Providence.

In “ARMENIA 100,” the audience will experience the world premiere of  “When the Music Stopped,” an operatic theatre piece by Stillman that takes spectators on a journey to grasp the horrors of the genocide and to honor the resilience of the Armenian people. Stillman describes it as “an Armenian narrative that begins by harkening back to the miracle of childhood and a simpler time, evolves to expose the 1915 genocide and devastation, and culminates in a celebration of Armenian culture and the promise of the future, the Armenian Weekly reports.

Bringing this work to fruition was inspired by a sentiment expressed in a striking quote by poet and professor Kenneth Rexroth: “Against the ruin of the world, there is only one defense—the creative act.”

“100 years ago one of the most horrific atrocities began: the systematic annihilation aimed at eradicating the Armenian people” said Stillman. “As artists, I believe that we are obliged to assist in transforming perception from historic and analytical to visceral and emotional. Reflecting upon this tragedy by artistic evocation, we hope, will carry the powerful message that we must remember, and never repeat, the tragic mistakes of the past. ‘ARMENIA 100’ will both commemorate the Armenian Genocide Centenary and celebrate the rich cultural heritage and thriving creative arts of an extraordinary people.”

This interdisciplinary tour-de-force includes music and libretto by Stillman; text based on Armenian poetry that spans centuries, translated by Diana Der-Hovanessian; direction by Trinity Repertory Company’s Curt Columbus; performances by the compelling film and TV actor Armen Garo (“The Departed,” “American Hustle,” and “The Sopranos”); the crystalline soprano of Aline Kutan; the rich baritone of Vagarshak Ohanyan; an accomplished chamber chorus; David Gevorkian on duduk; Michael De Quattro on drums; and the deeply expressive paintings of Mher Khachatryan.

The program also features masterworks by celebrated Armenian composers Komitas and Khachaturian; kemancha player David Ayriyan, an excerpt from Bianca Bagatourian’s “Deportations,” remarks by Chief Judge Haiganush Bedrosian and Mayor Scott Avedisian, and prayers by Rev. Fr. Shnork Souin and Rev. Fr. Gomidas Baghsarian, with CBS-Boston’s Laurie Kirby as master of ceremonies.

Stillman, who received her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from the Juilliard School, is the SONY recording partner of Wynton Marsalis, and is the artist-in-residence at Rhode Island College.