Melissa Bilal named to new Promise Chair in Armenian Music, Arts, and Culture at UCLA
Melissa Bilal, a leading scholar of Armenians in Turkey and director of UCLA’s Armenian Music Program, has been appointed the inaugural holder of The Promise Chair in Armenian Music, Arts, and Culture at UCLA. Bilal is renowned for her work on the history of Armenian music.
The endowed chair will support scholarly research, undergraduate and graduate courses in Armenian music, and academic conferences on Armenian music and performing arts.
“We are grateful for this investment in our ongoing work to deepen understanding of Armenian culture, which will further UCLA’s position as a leader in Armenian studies,” said UCLA Chancellor Gene Block. “One of our core responsibilities as an academic institution is to foster a sense of global citizenship and cultural understanding, and expanding our faculty and scholarship in this area is one way we are bringing that commitment to life.”