Violinist Records ‘An Armenian Trilogy’ to Commemorate Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich.– Detroit Symphony Orchestra violinist Kimberly Kaloyanides Kennedy has recorded “The Freedom,” the first movement of Dan Yessian’s classical composition “An Armenian Trilogy.” The performance was recorded to commemorate Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day which will be held on April 24.
Kennedy first began performing with the DSO in 1998 at the age of just 22 and is now Associate Concertmaster. She visited Yessian Music in Farmington Hills, Michigan to make the recording to honor the 1.5 million victims of the Armenian genocide at the hands of the Ottoman empire and Yessian’s effort to commemorate them.
A performance of ‘An Armenian Trilogy’ in Yerevan, Armenia
In 2014, Yessian was challenged by Rev. Garabed Kochakian, Pastor Emeritus of St. John Armenian Church in Southfield, Mich. to compose a piece of music to give voice to those who had theirs brutally taken away. After Kochakian’s request, Yessian began imagining how he would create a meaningful work. Yessian, a musician and composer, and the founder of the international music production company Yessian Music, traveled far beyond that initial request. His journey led him to compose a 22-minute symphonic tribute. “Through this music, I had a chance to step back and chronicle my heritage,” he said.
“An Armenian Trilogy” was originally written as a duet arrangement for violin and piano creating three movements:The Freedom, The Fear and The Faith, which debuted in Michigan in 2015. Yessian then took on the immense task of orchestrating his composition for 91 pieces, which was performed at the Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall by the world-renowned Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra in Armenia in 2017. Eventually, an award-winning documentary, also called “An Armenian Trilogy,” was made which followed Yessian through his childhood as a talented clarinet player, the early years of building his music production company, and then his travels to his ancestral homeland of Armenia, where he and his family explored their rich heritage and heard his composition performed by a professional orchestra for the first time.
“I’m here to raise awareness about ‘An Armenian Trilogy,’ a suite of music written by Yessian in commemoration of the centennial of the Armenian Genocide,” Kennedy said in a YouTube video prior to her performance. “I’m very proud to be here representing Yessian and his composition and I hope you find it as inspiring as I have.”
Dan Yessian
Yessian said he was very moved to hear Kennedy’s stunning performance. “Nine years after my work was first performed in Michigan it is a real privilege to have such a talented artist as Kennedy continue to give such a beautiful, fresh voice to my work as we continue to honor the victims of the Armenian Genocide,” said Yessian.
Yessian spent the bulk of his career creating music for advertisements for international brands, including many listed on the Fortune 500. He was inducted into the 2018 Adcraft Hall of Fame in Detroit and was recognized for Lifetime Achievement at the Detroit Music awards in 2016. Nowadays, he can be found working alongside his sons, Brian and Michael, on campaigns for companies such as United Airlines, Ford Motor Company, Macy’s, McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Nintendo, Disney, Walmart, Toyota and Mercedes-Benz. Yessian Music has also provided music for many television shows including Sunday Night Football, The Voice, America’s Got Talent, ESPN’s College Football, Veteran’s Day with A & E, NBC, and HBO.
