Holy Cross junior performs for Armenian Church Pontiff

Earlier this fall, at a ceremony in Boston, Ani Nalbandian ’09 delivered a dramatic poetry recital in both Armenian and English in the presence of the head of the Armenian Church, during his visit to the United States.

More than 300 people had gathered at a resplendent marble hall in the International Place to greet His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, and his entourage from Armenia. Included in the formal program was Nalbandian’s performance of “The Armenian Church,” by Armenian poet Vahan Tekeyan. The poem is about the fundamental importance of the Armenian Church to the soul and identity of the Armenian people, says Nalbandian.

Leaders of the Armenian community in Boston asked Nalbandian to perform after having seen her recite a poem with music earlier this year.

“The poem, which is in first person, makes reference to the sheltering walls of the Armenian Church against storms and disruption — essentially a metaphor for the effects of the Armenian Genocide. Even beyond that, the poem talks about how, for the Armenian people, the Armenian Church has been the protector of all aspects of our identity, for our ancestors in the past, and for us today,” she says.

By all accounts, Nalbandian, from Trumbull, Conn., is an exceptional scholar and talented artist. She is majoring in history, is in the premedical program and the College Honors Program.

When she was 16, Nalbandian wrote her first book, titled Polis: A Way of Life. Earl Peace, dean of the Class of the 2009, remembers when Nalbandian entered his office and asked if she could go to a book signing her freshman year. When he asked whose book signing, she replied, “Mine.” The title Polis is a reference to the Greek democratic city-state, relaying “the notion of the ideal existence, the ideal society, free of the heavy social and political burdens, inequalities, and injustices that ours is laden with,” she says.

“I realize it was a bold work — a 16-year-old attempting to offer advice to others well her senior, and her peers. But that is why I wanted to do it,” she explains. “It makes a statement, and despite my age, I felt then — as a I still feel now — that I have experienced things that have granted me insight, and the desire and strong motivation to hold on to my idealistic virtues.”

Earlier this year, she recorded and produced a CD with her father, Rev. Untzag Nalbandian, pastor of the Armenian Church of the Holy Ascension in Trumbull, consisting of Armenian, as well as international songs. She plays the piano, organ, srink (an Armenian wind instrument), and accordion. She is fluent in Armenian; writes poems in Spanish (some of which were published in the Holy Cross foreign language journal, Fosforo); and is not afraid of sounding off on issues that are of concern to her.

Most recently, Nalbandian had a letter published in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette about the Armenian genocide. His Holiness Karekin II visited the U.S. during a time when America has been asked to acknowledge last century’s genocide of millions of Armenians by the Ottoman Turks. Present day Turkey has tried to defeat the Armenian resolution by denying responsibility for the atrocities.

Nalbandian has an unwavering commitment to her Armenian heritage.

“I have spent time reading the works of several important Armenian leaders of the 19th and early 20th centuries,” she says. “I have been inspired by them, and heed their warning that if we don’t take action, the Armenian identity — the language, the culture, the Orthodox Church, the country, and hence the race — will cease to exist.”

Having traveled to Armenia for the first time in 2006, Nalbandian hopes to make many return trips, with the long-term aim of improving the Armenian homeland and aiding the Armenian people.

At Holy Cross Nalbandian is co-chair of the Bishop Healy Multicultural Society, science ambassador, tour guide; and member of the following organizations: American Medical Student Association, COMPASS, Eco-Action, Schola Cantorum, and an op-ed writer for the Crusader, among others.

“Holy Cross has really influenced my thinking, broadened my self and life-defining principles, and continues to contribute in guiding me spiritually through my formative college years,” she says.

She is also enthusiastic about her involvement in the many programs available through the College that promote religious dialogue.

“Religion is an engraved part of my life,” she says. “These programs teach me how to be a better person, and especially how to help others, which is an aspect of my life I am always looking to augment and improve upon.”

Pictured: Ani Nalbandian '09 stands beside His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians.