Alex P. Aghajanian grew up with the Rose Parade in his backyard. Now it’s in his veins.
The memories are vivid: New Year’s Eve parties hosted by his parents became multi-day events for friends and family – and him.
“They’d come over at midnight, and they would then walk down to the parade route,” Aghajanian said, reflecting on growing up in a neighborhood just north of Pasadena High School. “My dad would save seats for everybody, and we’d watch the parade on Sierra Madre Boulevard just before Paloma.”
• For related, see: 2024 Rose Parade lineup: Your guide to every float, band and equestrian unit, in order
Fast forward to now, and Aghajanian is about as rosy as you can get about the annual spectacle, which reaches tens of millions across the globe, all the way from his hometown.
After spending more than half of his life volunteering for the Tournament of Roses, Aghajanian is president of the Tournament of Roses for its 135th edition on Jan. 1. Talk to him for a little while, and the enthusiasm for the tradition pours out. You’ll find a guy who’s still enchanted with the parade, which this year, in particular, became a platform for his love for music.
“The Tournament of Roses kicks off the year with a really wonderful celebration,” Aghajanian said. “I want everyone to get up in the morning, and I want everyone to go tune into the parade and get that sense of joy, that sense of excitement, that sense of it’s a new year. Let’s all start it off together.”
Not rosy enough for you? Let’s keep going.
Aghajanian’s ties to Pasadena and surrounding communities are more than just geographic.
As an attorney practicing law for more than 35 years, the Law Offices of Alex P. Aghajanian is on its third generation of serving clients. He also is a former member of the Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education, has served on the board of directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Pasadena and has coached in the local AYSO soccer and Little League youth sports programs.
Aghajanian and his wife Paula have been married for 40 years, have three children and their dog Murphy. He enjoys spending time with his family, old Ford trucks, gardening, photography, music, fishing and classic films.
It’s the passion for music that has guided his stewardship of the parade this year.
2024’s Tournament of Roses theme, selected by Aghajanian and Paula, is “Celebrating a World of Music: The Universal Language.” The theme continued to take life on Friday, when Aghajanian announced his pick for the parade’s grand marshal: Performing arts mega-star Audra McDonald. Aghajanian’s theme also impacts the floats, of course, with all manner of musical imagery planned for the big day.
The idea behind the musical theme has its roots in the Pasadena community.
As an elementary student in the Pasadena Unified School District, Aghajanian was introduced to the clarinet in a third-grade music program and went on to play the instrument through middle school and into high school as a member of Pasadena High School’s marching band and symphonic orchestra.
While his career path took him into law, he never lost the love for music — its ability to unite; and its place as an important subject for students to engage in school.
“Statistically, if you are musically inclined or participating in music … you are about 20 basis points more likely to succeed at any of our statistical tests that we give our kids and more likely to excel at school,” Aghajanian said. “Every child should try to play an instrument and be involved in music for what it brings to them academically.”
But just as important to Aghajanian is the idea that music can bring together people from any background and all walks of life.
“Music is a universal language that we can all speak together,” Aghajanian said. “It doesn’t matter what language you speak, we can all still speak music together.”
Aghajanian is looking forward to celebrating this New Year’s Day as he and the 50 million people who watch the Rose Parade annually enjoy a variety of performances that will provide top-notch viewing and listening experiences.
And with the 2024 Rose Bowl Game serving as a College Football Playoff semifinal, he is eagerly anticipating an exciting matchup in what he calls “the best college venue to watch football in the country.”
From football, floats and flowers to the equestrian teams and the marching bands, Aghajanian’s idea behind the theme is to create a worldwide party, one that can bring all people together through the universal language of music.
“A day does not go by without all of us hearing a piece of music or a song in some form or another, in one way or another,” he said Friday, as he announced McDonald as grand marshal, donning his red jacket amid confetti and applause. “It starts with the tap of your foot, or the movement of your finger. Next thing you know, you’re humming along. And the brave among us actually start singing. It does not matter what language a song is. Because we can all enjoy the beat together.
“It transcends everything.”
