Maryvonne Kendergi or Kendergian, (15 August 191527 September 2011) was a Canadian-Armenian writer, professor, musicologist, pianist, and Québécois commentator.

Life

Kendergi was born 15 August 1915 in

Aintab Gaziantep (), previously and still informally called Aintab or Antep (), is a major city and capital of the Gaziantep Province, in the westernmost part of Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Region and partially in the Mediterranean Region, approximat ...

to an

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

family. Due to the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was ...

she fled to Syria, where she grew up, then moved to France. At the Sorbonne, she studied and gained an advanced degree in 1942. She moved to Canada in 1952, and became a Canadian citizen in 1960. For ten years she hosted radio programs on contemporary music on

Radio-Canada The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

and also appeared regularly on television. She taught at the

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte-de ...

. She played an important role in the founding of the

Quebec Contemporary Music Society The Quebec Contemporary Music Society, or Société de musique contemporaine du Québec in French (SMCQ), is a contemporary classical-music organization based in Montreal, Quebec. It was founded in 1966 by Montreal composers and musicians, includin ...

in 1966. She was a past president of the Canadian Music Council. Kendergi was appointed a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

in 1980, and promoted to an Officer of the Order in 1992. She was made a ''Chevalier'' in the

Order of Quebec The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as ''l'Ordre national du Québec'', and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is an order of merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Gov ...

in 1985.

Death

Kendergi died on 27 September 2011 in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

, Quebec. She was entombed at the Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery.

Honours

*1980 – ''Member'' of the

*1982 –

Canadian Music Council Medal Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

*1983 – The Lynch-Staunton Prize *1985 – ''Chevalier'' de l'

Ordre national du Québec The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as ''l'Ordre national du Québec'', and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is an order of merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Gov ...

*1985 –

Prix Calixa-Lavallée Prix was an American power pop band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1975 by Tommy Hoehn and Jon Tiven. The group ended up primarily as a studio project. Its recordings were produced by Tiven along with former Big Star member Chris Bell, who als ...

*1992 – ''Officer'' of the

*1994 – Medal of the

Académie des lettres du Québec The Académie des lettres du Québec is a national academy for Quebec writers. It was founded as the Académie canadienne-française in 1944 by Victor Barbeau and a group of writers. In 1992 it changed its name to the Académie des lettres du Qué ...

*2000 – Prix Opus, ''hommage''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kendergi, Maryvonne Officers of the Order of Canada 1915 births 2011 deaths People from Gaziantep People from Aleppo vilayet Canadian people of Armenian descent Members of the Order of Canada Knights of the National Order of Quebec Canadian musicologists Women musicologists Burials at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery Syrian expatriates in France Syrian emigrants to Canada