Arghamanyan to Make New York Debut at Frick Collection

By Ara Arakelian

When 20-year-old pianist Nareh Arghamanyan takes the stage at New York’s Frick Collection for her professional debut recital on Nov. 22, she will have come full circle in a journey that began six years ago.

In November 2003, the unassuming yet resilient young prodigy from Vanadzor, Armenia, played a benefit recital to an audience of 500 at Hunter College a few blocks away. Six years of intense studies in Vienna and several piano competition prizes later, Arghamanyan’s achievements include participation in prestigious music camps and festivals such as Tanglewood and Marlboro, the release of a solo CD album, and signing with a professional artist management firm. Her New York recital is part of a North American concert tour which, so far, has taken her to concert halls in Montreal, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Fresno, Santa Rosa, and Kalamazoo, with more engagements to come. Judging by the results—her CD and concerts have received rave reviews and some presenters have already invited her back—it appears Arghamanyan is on her way to joining the select group of emerging young pianists on the classical music scene today who have captivated listeners with their artistry and individual voice.

Arghamanyan enrolled in the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna at age 15, being one of the youngest to enter the acclaimed institution. Years of hard work resulted in numerous awards and competition prizes, most notably the Herbert Von Karajan Foundation scholarship and the top prize at the 2008 Montreal International Piano Competition. As part of her prize, she recorded and released a recital CD album for the Canadian label Analekta, featuring electrifying performances of sonatas by Rachmaninoff and Liszt, two of the most challenging and romantic music ever written for the piano. In reviewing the album, “La Scene Musicale” wrote: “Arghamanyan meets the daunting demands of these two ultra-Romantic pieces with a combination of technical bravura, singing tone, and poetic expression.”

In her New York recital, Arghamanyan will characteristically probe introspective and monumental works by Bach (Partita No. 3), Schumann (Humoresque), Beethoven (Sonata No. 31), and Liszt (Ballade No. 2).

For more information about the concert, call (212) 547-0715 or visit www.Frick.org.