Tuesday, Mar 3: 7-10 pm

1401 Howard St, San Francisco, CA

Free for patrons. General ticket $30/person.

Presented by Saint Joseph’s Arts Society

HYE THERE

(“Hye” means “Armenian”)

An Armenian variety show featuring VERA!, Mary Basmadjian (Vartoush Tota), Rusty Hammer, Anoush Ellah, Taleen Voskuni, and Hrayr Varaz.

Join us for a joyful, powerful evening celebrating the intersections of Armenian and queer culture. The night features performances by beloved drag artists VERA!, Rusty Hammer, and Anoush Ellah; stand-up comedy by Mary Basmadjian of Funny Armenian Girl with a special appearance by the iconic Vartoush Tota; poetry by language advocate Hrayr Varaz; and a glimpse into the literary world of award-winning writer Taleen Voskuni.

This event is a tribute to the resilience, creativity, and enduring spirit of the Armenian community—honoring deep cultural roots while amplifying bold, contemporary expressions across the diaspora.

Doors: 7pm Performances: 8–10pm

Seating & Access Notes Seating is first come, first served, with plenty of room to stand and enjoy the show, including viewing from the mezzanine. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

For accessibility needs, seating support, or sliding-scale entry, please email info@saintjosephsartssociety.com

We are fully ADA accessible.

RSVP

Tickets here.

Tigran Hamasyan is considered one of the most remarkable and distinctive jazz-meets-rock pianists/composers of his generation. A piano virtuoso with groove power, Hamasyan seamlessly fuses potent jazz improvisation and progressive rock with the rich folkloric music of his native Armenia. Born in Gyumri, Armenia, in 1987, his musical journey began in his childhood home, where he was exposed to a diverse array of musical influences leading to him playing piano at the age of three, performing in festivals and competitions by the time he was eleven, and winning the Montreux Jazz Festival’s piano competition in 2003. He released his debut album, World Passion, in 2004 at the age of seventeen. The following year, he won the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition. Additional albums include New Era; Red Hail; A Fable, for which he was awarded a Victoires de la Musique (the equivalent of a Grammy Award in France); Shadow Theater; and Luys i Luso which featured the Yerevan State Chamber Choir focusing on Armenian sacred music stretching stylistically from the 5th century to the 20th century.

In addition to awards and critical acclaim, Hamasyan has built a dedicated following worldwide, as well as praise from Herbie Hancock, Brad Mehldau and the late Chick Corea. “With startling combinations of jazz, minimalist, electronic, folk and songwriterly elements…Hamasyan and his collaborators travel musical expanses marked with heavy grooves, ethereal voices, pristine piano playing and ancient melodies. You’ll hear nothing else like this” (NPR)

ARMAVENI

A YA Graphic Novel
Levine Querido
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

A bold, autobiographical graphic novel chronicling one girl’s quest to uncover her family’s history during the Armenian genocide.

Nadine loves stories and her mother loves to tell them — all but one. Nadine would give anything to learn about her family’s history in Armenia and Turkey –where they came from and how they came to America — but it is just too painful for her parents. All Nadine knows is that they were caught up in the Armenian genocide.

Until one day the dam bursts. And through that flood of stories and memories, and a trip back to their people’s homelands, Nadine discovers a key to unlocking her own heritage and the courage to speak up when injustice rears its head again. 

Told in interwoven historical, contemporary, and fantastical sequences, Armaveni is a gripping graphic novel debut and a much-needed historical document.

PREORDER AVAILABLE NOW

PURCHASE FROM YOUR FAVORITE BOOKSELLER

https://www.nadinetakvorian.com/books

BOOK SIGNING
March 10, 2026
6:00pm Green Apple Books on Clement
506 Clement St. San Francisco, CA 94118
* Book signing only
To RSVP please use this link: https://greenapplebooks.com/event/2026-03-10/clement-st-nadine-takvorian-author-signing

BOOK LAUNCH – ARMAVENI
March 14, 2026
6:30pm Mrs. Dalloway’s Bookstore
2904 College Ave. Berkeley, CA 94705
* In conversation with local, award-winning author, Eugene Yelchin.
To RSVP please use this link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1980506448100?aff=oddtdtcreator

March 15, 2026
Cartoon Art Museum
781 Beach St. Fl 1, San Francisco, CA 94109
*Panel and Emerging Artist Exhibition – More info to come

March 21, 2026
6:00pm Linden Tree Books
265 State St. Los Altos, CA 94022
* In conversation with local author, Maggie Tokuda-Hall

A talk by Dr. Evangeline McGlynn on the 1988 Spitak Earthquake in Soviet Armenia engaging with the question of scale and materiality of disaster through an exploration of dust from the built environment.

https://events.berkeley.edu/armenian

This talk takes an ecocritical approach to intersections of text, architecture and landscape in the 10th-14th centuries in the region of Vayots Dzor, which was during the middle ages a central province of the kingdom of Syunik. I will explore the medieval idea of the sacred desert, as established in biblical imagery and expanded in the vitae of the so-called desert fathers, founding figures within medieval Christianity and in the ideologies of monasticism especially.

https://events.berkeley.edu/armenian

Join us for a historical milestone.

SATURDAY, APRIL 11th

6:00 PM – Reception

7:00 PM – Dinner

Crowne Plaza – 1221 Chess Dr, Foster City, CA 94404

Purchase tickets here.