Amplifying and interconnecting Armenian Sights, Sounds and Stories through a unique and multidimensional lens.

Sights, Sounds, Stories was held on April 30, 2023 @ Vertigo

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About Us

Creating is the ultimate expression of how we process the world around us.

Artists and creatives help us synthesize our world.

Strobia is dedicated to supporting these endeavors, aiming to keep the legacy and magic of creation alive.

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Our Participants

Jane Olson

Keynote Speaker

Jane has worked as a volunteer for many decades to promote peace and justice through international human rights and humanitarian organizations.

Joel Martin

Jazzical Komitas

Norwalk CT-based pianist, producer, composer, and arranger who has collaborated with, and/or written music for Grammy Award-winners.

Margaret Asatrian

Featured Visual Artist

Armenian artist Margaret Asatrian’s artwork has gained the attention of many national and international art connoisseurs and private collectors.

Armen Menechyan

Emcee

LA based therapeutic yoga & somatic therapist interested in individual & community healing and the art of joy. Creator of Pur Joy Yoga in Los Feliz.

Amplifying and interconnecting Armenian Sights, Sounds and Stories through a unique and multidimensional lens.

Event Details

Vertigo

Sunday, April 30, 2023 at Noon

400 W Glenoaks Blvd, Glendale, CA 91202

Ticket Price: $120.00
includes lunch crafted by celebrated Chef Michael Kay

Program includes:
Emcee Armen Menechyan
Jazzical Komitas concert by Joel Martin
Keynote by Jane Olson
Fine art by Margaret Asatrian

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Strobia Foundation is a 501c3 (tax exempt ID number 88-3362419)

Strobia defined.

Our cultural legacy resides in storytelling and artistry. Ancient civilizations embody centuries of wisdom that draw us together and ignite a spark. To us, strobia is the moment the spark SPARKS. Creating is the ultimate expression of how we process the world around us. Artists, creatives, advocates and innovators help us synthesize our world.

Strobia Foundation Mission Statement

To uplift and amplify Armenian artists and creatives globally, helping them reach their full potential.

The art of creation and community is at the core of Strobia Foundation, a 501c3 established to keep the legacy and magic of creating alive. Throughout history, artists, creatives, advocates and innovators are the ones who are celebrated, studied and remembered, not the critics.

Strobia uplifts artists, creatives, advocates, and innovators globally to help them reach their full potential.

Strobia Foundation Donation

Thank you for your generous donation to Strobia Foundation. We are dedicated to supporting artistic endeavors, aiming to keep the legacy and magic of creation alive. Your contribution will help us uplift artists, creatives, advocates, innovators and community leaders globally to help them reach their full potential.

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In honor or in memory of:

Keynote: Jane Olson

Jane Olson has worked as a volunteer for many decades to promote peace and justice through international human rights and humanitarian organizations. She chaired the International Board of Trustees of Human Rights Watch from 2004 to 2010 and served as co-chair of the Women’s Refugee Commission. As founding board chair of Landmine Survivors Network/Survivor Corps, she gave leadership to LSN for 12 years. Extensive travels with those and other humanitarian organizations took Jane to Nicaragua and El Salvador during the Contra Wars and to the former Soviet Union beginning with trips to Ukraine in 1989 and 1990, a time of revolution.

As the former USSR fell apart and wars broke out, she participated in investigative trips to the former Yugoslavia during “ethnic cleansing” of Bosnia, and to the Caucasus countries of Azerbaijan and Armenia. Mission to many countries in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America focused on human rights abuse and refugee conditions, HIV/AIDS, landmines, and other calamities caused by conflict and extreme poverty.

Jane is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a board member of both the National World War II Museum in New Orleans and Direct Relief, based in Santa Barbara, CA. She is a board member of The Trusteeship, the Southern California chapter of the International Women’s Forum, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Pacific Council on International Policy.

Jane grew up in rural western Iowa and graduated from the University of Nebraska. She lives with her husband, attorney Ronald L. Olson, in Pasadena, California. They have three children and eight grandsons.

Joel Martin

Joel A. Martin is a Norwalk CT-based pianist, producer, composer, and arranger who has collaborated with, and/or written music for, Grammy Award-winners Alan Menken, Kathleen Battle, Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas, Brooklyn Youth Chorus, cellist Eugene Friesen of the Paul Winter Consort, and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Jaimoe of the Allman Brothers, among many luminaries.

3.5 years ago his musical journey crossed paths with Armenia. On March 10, 2022 Joel released his 9th CD “Jazzical: Komitas – Passion of Fire” paying homage to Armenia’s cultural and artistic icon, Komitas Vartabed. This acclaimed music has been recreated in Joel Martin’s trademarked Jazzical®️ style for a new global audience and world tour.

Margaret Asatrian

Margaret Asatrian is an artist who commits herself entirely to the artistic process, synthesizing the world around us through her brushstrokes. Each piece has a depth and composition that is captivating. Timeless and alluring in nature, her artwork continues to gain the attention of many national and international art connoisseurs and private collectors. In 2021 Asatrian’s painting ” Reflections” was selected to be showcased at the 5th Edition of London Art Biennale hosted in the historic Chelsea Old Town Hall. The painting is on permanent display at the Museum of Alex and Marie Manoogian in Michigan. In September 2021, two artworks of the artist were displayed at the Pavilion Porte de Versailles in frames of the International Contemporary Paris Art Fair. Margaret Asatrian graduated with a degree in FIne Arts from the Yerevan State Academy of Fine Art. She currently lives and works in Yerevan. Her paintings are showcased at the Gallery Milmar in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.

MC: Armen Menechyan

Armen Menechyan is an empathic and passionate storyteller, yoga practitioner and educator specializing in mind, body and heart practices. Deeply passionate about the art of bringing people together, therapeutics and healing communities, he is the creator of circles and spaces for the sole intention of reminding everyone that joy is innate, unconditional, inexhaustible and residing within us at all times. A city dweller but a true lover of small town vibes where people still know your name and unafraid to greet you with a hello on walks, in 2022, he created Pür Joy Yoga in Los Feliz Village.

As a former middle school educator with a Masters of Arts in Education from Columbia University, it was in search of his own healing of chronic physical pain that he left his career and pursued a contemplative life. A life of ease, joy and reducing suffering is how he chooses to live. In this lifetime, he hopes to support those suffering from the ill effects of fatigue, isolation and burnout.

Armen has been practicing yoga since 2002 and began teaching in 2015, after completing a month long silent retreat at a Buddhist monastery in Nepal. He co-launched a self-care initiative in 2016 called Stega: A Perfect Union in the country of his origin for human rights activists and social change makers. He enjoys leading self-care retreats, which he has done for Peace Corps Armenia and E.U. youth workers. He recently served as a psychological first aid volunteer at shelters during the 2020 war in Armenia. He is an advocate for LGBTQ+ and minority rights and his practice and work is multifaceted and is always evolving to remain true and authentic to his deepest intention which is to love and be loved.

Tsovo Massena

  Tsovo Massena, MBA, is a distinguished former marketing executive with over 7 years in the industry and a proven track record working with Fortune 500 companies. Currently, she serves as a Commercial Real Estate Investment Advisor at Oxbridge International, backed by an impressive educational portfolio that includes a BA and an MS in Economics, an MBA, and an MS in Marketing.

  In her advisory capacity, Massena applies her broad background to offer strategic guidance across the entire real estate investment spectrum. She adopts a client-centered approach, tailoring strategies to meet individual investment goals. Her skill and advisory covers transaction coordination, valuation analysis, market trend evaluation, scenario-based risk assessment, and working and assisting questions/negations with city and county officials for skillfully navigating the complexities of the market and leading specialized teams tailored to each investment scenario.

  The core of Massena’s work is her unwavering commitment to providing unbiased advice, reflecting a deep-seated dedication to her client’s best interests. While her skills and dedication play a crucial role in facilitating successful investments, it is her genuine care for her client’s needs and her commitment to ethical practices that truly define her professional ethos.

  Beyond her career, Tsovo Massena is devoted to philanthropy, embodying her belief in giving back to the community. This commitment is integral to her life, guiding her efforts to foster a legacy of service and positive change, a value she is passionate about passing on to her son.