Komitas Vardapet was an Armenian priest, composer, and ethnomusicologist who is considered the founder of the Armenian national school of music. Born in 1869 in the Ottoman Empire, he devoted his life to collecting and preserving thousands of Armenian folk songs, shaping them into a rich musical tradition that connected village life, spirituality, and art. His work brought Armenian music to international audiences and laid the foundation for generations of composers. During the Armenian Genocide in 1915, Komitas was arrested and deported, and the trauma he endured profoundly affected the rest of his life. Today, he is remembered not only as a pioneering musician, but also as a powerful cultural symbol.

This illustrated book project tells the story of Komitas’s life for young adults and adults, while weaving in my own personal journey. As a Turkish artist and amateur musician, my encounter with his music became a turning point. Through his compositions, I began reflecting on shared histories, silences, and the deep cultural connections between Armenian and Turkish communities.

The project gently explores how two neighboring peoples, so intertwined in geography and culture, have been separated by the pain of the past. By placing Komitas’s story alongside my own experiences growing up and living in Turkey, I hope to create space for listening, empathy, and dialogue. At its heart, this book is about music as memory, and about the possibility of understanding through art.