Prelacy to Hold ‘Musical Armenia’ Concert in March

NEW YORK—This year’s “Musical Armenia” Concert, the 26th concert in the Eastern Prelacy’s highly successful series, will take place on Sun., March 8 at 2 p.m. Musical Armenia’s featured artists are cellist David Bakamjian and violinist Cecee Pantikian, who will be joined by violist Molly Carr, pianist Christine Diwyk, and pianist Anna Petrova. The concert will take place at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Bakamjian, Pantikian, and their collaborators will perform an eclectic program that will include a violin sonata by Edvard Grieg, Leos Janacek’s Pohadka for cello with piano accompaniment, the violin and viola duo Passacaglia, written by Johan Halverson and based on a set of variations for harpsichord by George Frideric Handel, as well as compositions by Aram Khachaturian, Alexander Arutunian, and other composers.

Established in 1982 by Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian, of blessed memory, and the Prelacy Ladies Guild, Musical Armenia is dedicated to promoting young Armenian artists and to the live performance of music by Armenian composers.  Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, Prelate of the Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America, recently expressed his commitment to this important series. “Over the past 27 years, many of the program’s performers have established solid professional careers, and we are very appreciative of the role that Musical Armenia’s many supporters have played in this artistic growth,” the Prelate said.

Bakamjian performs regularly as a recitalist, chamber player, and recording artist. In addition to appearances in New York’s premier concert halls, he has appeared several times on National Public Radio and WQXR. As a member of the Casa Verde Trio, he completed six critically acclaimed national tours and a month-long tour of China. Bakamjian has performed as a soloist with the Allentown Symphony, Philharmonia Virtuosi, Beijing Symphony, Bachanalia Festival Orchestra, and the Lehigh University Philharmonic, and has been a winner or finalist in four international chamber music competitions.  A faculty member at Lehigh, Bakamjian earned a B.A. from Yale University and a Ph.D. from Stony Brook University.

Pantikian has received critical acclaim for her virtuoso technique and colorful musicality. She made her Carnegie Hall (Isaac Stern Auditorium) debut in June 2003, performing Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto with the Senior Concert Orchestra of New York under the direction of David Gilbert. She has appeared as a guest soloist with the Bozeman Symphony Orchestra, Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, Manhattan School of Music Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Musica Bella Orchestra of New York. Pantikian holds degrees from the Manhattan School of Music, where she studied with Pinchas Zukerman, Glenn Dicterow, Lisa Kim, and Patinka Kopec.

Sponsors for Musical Armenia 2009 will make a key contribution to the artistic development of these talented performers. Sponsorship levels range from Silver Sponsor ($200 donation) to Diamond Sponsor ($1,000 donation).  The generosity of the supporters will be recognized in the concert program booklet, and they will be invited to submit a message or business card for inclusion in the booklet.

Tickets for the concert are $30. For inquiries about sponsorship, please contact the Prelacy by calling (212) 689-7810 or emailing sophie@armenianprelacy.org.  For ticket information, contact the Prelacy or the Carnegie Hall box office by calling (212) 247-7800.

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