Detroit has always been called a melting pot of people and cultures, a place for thousands of immigrants to settle and create a life for their families. Today, the area is home to more than 40,000 Armenians—mainly because of the immigrants who survived the Armenian Genocide of 1915, a persecution by the Turkish Ottoman Empire which resulted in the massacre of 1.5 million people. These immigrants came to Detroit to work mainly for the automotive industry. Desperate to create a new home with memories, they brought with them not personal wealth, but identity, traditions, and music. Ara Topouzian, local Armenian musician, will give a presentation about the history of Armenian music and the musicians that performed in Detroit from the early 1920s through the late 1960s. April 24th is a yearly commemoration that marks the Armenian Genocide. Ara is in the process of turning this presentation into a film documentary for a 2015 release which will be the 100th anniversary of the Genocide.