On August 25th at 5 p.m., the Daghlian Ensemble will hold a concert in Barrett Hall to benefit Atria Connect, a new non-profit co-founded by PCM alum George Daghlian. George started the project with several of his peers at Caltech, where he’s entering his third year and majoring in biology with a goal of pursuing an MD-PhD in pediatric neurosurgery and medical engineering.

Atria Connect’s objective is to match patients in low-income communities around the world with point-of-care devices and to consistently send teams of physicians to train local doctors so that patients in these communities can maintain continuity of care. They will be beta-testing their model in Gonaives, Haiti, where their focus is on mitigating the impact of treatable illnesses such as congenital heart disease – one of the leading, preventable causes of death in Haiti. George explains that, “when diagnosed early, this form of heart disease is treatable. So we’re sending physicians with ultrasound devices for three months to work with local doctors and teach them how to use these devices.” The proceeds from Saturday’s concert will be used to cover the travel cost of the twelve physicians­, while the medical supplies have been donated by Philips Healthcare and SonoSim.

This isn’t the first time the Daghlians leveraged music to raise awareness and money for worthy causes. Three years ago, they staged a fundraising concert at their church and raised over $10,000 to help aid Armenian-Syrian refugees. The effort was close to their hearts as both of their parents immigrated to the United States from Aleppo in the early 1990’s.

All three Daghlian siblings are passionate about music: Patill plays flute and studies with Barbara Mullens-Geier, Saren plays violin and studies with Sharon Harman, and George plays piano and studied with Dr. Vatche Mankerian from 6th grade until he started attending Caltech. The trio, also coached by Dr. Mankerian, has won an impressive number of accolades, including recent first place awards at the Armenian Allied Arts Competition and the Satori International Competition. Patill is also principal flute in the PYSO Philharmonic, where Saren serves as concertmaster. Additionally, as members of their church’s chamber orchestra, George, Patill, and Saren enjoy leading others in worship.

While juggling a full academic schedule at Caltech, George conducts brain cancer research at USC’s Keck Medical School, shadows surgeons at Huntington Hospital, and launched Atria Connect. Yet, George makes it a point to find time to play the piano, often using the instrument to clear his mind and help solve non-musical problems of the day.

To purchase tickets for the Atria Connect benefit concert, please visit: https://www.nocturne2018.com/

To learn more about Atria Connect or make a direct donation, please visit: https://www.atriaconnect.org/