Hampartzoum Berberian

Born in the Adana province of the Ottoman Empire, Hampartzoum was the youngest of 13 children. During the 1915 Armenian Genocide, he ended up in Aleppo, Syria, where he found refuge in the local American orphanage. There his musical gifts became evident.[2]

Through Smyrna, in time, he ended up in Greece, where he decided to become a musician. Berberian enrolled in the Athens Conservatory, studying conducting with Dimitri Mitropoulos. He graduated in 1929. In addition to the indisputable gifts as a composer, Berberian was talented as a violinist, conductor and teacher. In 1931, he was appointed Associate Dean to the Hellenic Conservatory in Cyprus, where he built a reputation as a successful composer and conductor.

In 1945, Catholicos Karekin I of Cilicia invited him to Lebanon to serve as music teacher at the Antelias Theological Seminary, as well as in the schools of the Armenian General Benevolent Union. During this time, Berberian composed many works and conducted numerous concerts. He traveled to various cities in the Middle East, Europe, North and South America, disseminating Armenian music generally and his own work particularly. From then on, he also became the musical operative of the Armenian Democratic Liberal Party.

He moved to the United States in 1962 and became a naturalized citizen in 1968.[3] He lived in Watertown, MA, and was the director of music ministry at the Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church in Cambridge, MA. He was honored by many religious leaders and secular organizations for his contributions in music, culture and education.

Hampartzoum Berberian passed away in Watertown, MA on March 13, 1999.

Hampartzoum Berberian was a prolific composer who wrote for all genres. The underlying common denominator of Berberian’s stylistic mold is the Armenian heritage. Yet, in his compositions the Western and the Middle Eastern trends are conjoined, reaching beyond national boundaries.