180th Anniversary of the Armenian Evangelical Church Celebrated with a Grand Concert

BY DORIS MELKONIAN

An evening of music filled the sanctuary of United Armenian Congregational Church on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in celebration of the 180th anniversary of the Armenian Evangelical Church. The program included Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cantata No. 80, Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott (“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”) and Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 5 in d minor, Op. 107, “Reformation” Symphony. Both works were based on the Lutheran chorale, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” a hymn that was composed by the architect of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther. These orchestral works were composed for the commemoration of the Protestant Reformation and were featured at the celebratory concert for the 180th anniversary of the Armenian Evangelical Church.

The orchestra and choir performed under the baton of Maestro Garo Avessian, the former conductor of the Lebanese Philharmonic and the Armenian Evangelical Armiss Choir,

Prior to the concert, Doris Melkonian gave a pre-concert lecture providing the background to the composition of these works, their place in the repertoire of classical music and their place in the history of Christianity.

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Rev. Vicken Cholakian created a video presentation of the Armenian Evangelical Churches and Institutions for this anniversary celebration. The video of historic and present-day images underscored adherence to the Bible, the cornerstone of Armenian Evangelical faith. The video was projected to the accompaniment of the Orchestral Medley of Protestant Hymns arranged by Maestro Avessian.

Maestro Avessian arranged the orchestration of the Doxology (Park yev Badiv) for the celebratory concert. The world premiere of this orchestration was electrifying as Maestro Avessian led the congregational singing of the Doxology.

A reception followed in Avazian Hall that was spearheaded by Garine Abajian and Catherine Koundakjian.