Book Launch Event for Alan Hovhaness

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Alan Hovhaness was one of the most prolific classical composers of the 20th century. He created over five hundred compositions and sixty-seven symphonies. He was a master of counterpoint and an intellectual, yet he had many different sides to his personality, from being a polite, distinguished gentleman to a wild savage, idealistic and old-fashioned man to a sexy womanizer. He understood human nature and emotion, and that is why his music touches peoples hearts and is loved by them, even though his music is built on an intellectual foundation.

Hinako Fujihara Hovhaness was the wife, musical partner, and lifelong champion of composer Alan Hovhaness. A trained soprano and former performer with the Seattle Opera auxiliary chorus, Hinako met Alan in 1974 at a piano recital. They married in 1977, and from that point forward, she became his closest collaborator—both artistically and professionally. She founded and ran Hovhaness-Fujihara Music Company, managed Alan’s financial affairs, produced numerous recordings of his works, and performed in several of his symphonies. Her voice, a coloratura soprano, inspired multiple compositions and live performances. Hinako devoted her later years to preserving Alan’s musical legacy, serving as executive producer on numerous CD releases and documenting their life together. This book represents the culmination of that effort—a deeply personal account of the man behind the music, told by the person who knew him best.

In the year 2000, after Alan’s death, Hinako Fujihara-Hovhaness started writing poems, which was the only way she could cope with her great loss. They were written with her limited English, yet they were spontaneous and poignant, straight from her heart. After she had written hundreds of poems, it was not enough. Hinako started writing stories from my memories about Alan, events she had experienced with him.

William Holst, a retired Avionics Systems Engineer of 38 years and currently the president of Hovhaness-Fujihara Music Company. “Now that I have been handed the honorary torch of the Hovhaness legacy, I plan to generously disperse Hovhaness music so that all will have the opportunity to experience his beautiful and healing music.” Bill is the stepson of Alan Hovhaness and son of Hinako Hovhaness. After his mother’s death in 2022, he became the president of Hovhaness-Fujihara Music Company. His career change from the engineering environment to the classical music world has been a major adjustment to understand the different mindsets. Regardless, his objective is to uncover Alan Hovhaness’ personal life, so that all will know that he was not only a great composer, but also a great man.

Harout Arakelian is a video editor, music collector, and researcher based in Los Angeles, California. As a community historian, he is dedicated to preserving historic Armenian sound recordings from the 78-rpm era (1898-1956). He is a leading expert in this field, delivering lectures such as “Armenian Music of America” and “Ode to Spring – Armenian 78s Recorded in California”. Harout has been a guest lecturer at UCLA and has presented for the Armenian Institute in London. He has contributed to several publications and co-authored the biography “Zabelle Panosian – I Am Servant of Your Voice” published in 2022. He delivered a presentation on the long-lost first Armenian recordings in America titled “The Tashjian Brothers and the Birth of Armenian Recordings” to launch the Sound Archive at the Armenian Museum of America, where he also contributes monthly profiles highlighting musicians from the 78-rpm era. Currently, he is working on his second publication. His extensive knowledge has brought greater understanding and enthusiasm to the world of Armenian recordings and their history.