PASADENA—A benefit concert for the victims of the Eaton Fire will feature two local Armenian performing arts groups and several other groups representing the diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds of the region.
The concert, called “Dawn Over ‘Dena,” will feature performances by the Hamazkayin Ani Dance Company and the Hamazkayin Nayirian Choir, both from Glendale. The event will be held on May 25, at 7 p.m., at the AGBU Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Performing Arts Center in Pasadena. Tickets are $150 and all net proceeds benefit the families affected by the Eaton Fire.
Other performers at the concert reflect the region’s many other cultural backgrounds, including its Mexican and Asian heritage.
Matthew Karanian, a resident of Pasadena and a member of the committee that is organizing the event, said he is pleased to see that two Armenian groups will be among the many performers at the benefit event. “Armenians are a significant part of our community, and I’m happy to see that we are coming together with so many others to help the fire victims,” he said, while adding that many of those victims are Armenians.
The local chapter of the Armenian Relief Society is coordinating distribution of net proceeds from the event to the Armenian community. Other nonprofits, including the Pasadena City College Foundation and the Pasadena Unified School District Foundation, are among those coordinating distribution of donations to other fire victims.
Patricia Kinaga, the lead organizer of the concert, expressed optimism about the future for the affected community. “This is about showing up for each other, giving what we can and letting people know they are not alone, and they are not forgotten,” she said.
Committee members for the event are all volunteers, and are “ordinary people moved to do something extraordinary in the wake of disaster, said Kinaga.
Tickets are available online, or by phone by calling Audrey Noda at (626) 437-7509, Adeline Yoong at (818) 426-4017 or Gwen Owens at (626) 253-4879. Donations can be made to the California Community Foundation Dawn over ‘Dena fund online.
The AGBU Performing Arts Center has a capacity of 600, and Kinaga said she expects to sell out all of the seats. Several sponsorship and major donor opportunities are still available.
