By Lucy Ishkanian
NEW YORK—An exceptional musical evening will take place at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York on Fri., March 30 at 8 p.m., featuring two talented young Armenian musicians, Marta Bagratuni, cellist, and Hayk Arsenyan, pianist-composer.
This cultural evening is being presented by “Musical Armenia,” the concert series project under the auspices of the Armenian Prelacy in New York City. It began in 1982 with the purpose of introducing talented young Armenian musicians to the public, as well as encouraging the performance of music by Armenian composers.
The impressive roster of “Musical Armenia” artists presented annually over the last 30 years includes pianist Sergei Babayan, baritone Rodion Pogossov, cellist Suren Bagratuni, soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian, cellist Ani Aznavoorian, and violinist Catherine Manoukian.
Marta Bagratuni, the daughter of the renowned cellist Suren Bagratuni, gave her first performance on cello at the age of 5, had her international debut at 8, and her orchestral and recital debuts at 12. Since then, she has become a versatile recitalist across five continents, performing a diverse repertoire of solo, chamber, and orchestral works. In 2010, Bagratuni graduated magna cum laude from the University of Michigan and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in cello and voice performance. She made her operatic debut in September 2011 with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra. Her “Musical Armenia” program will include works by Vahe Sharafyan and Adam Khudoyan.
Pianist-composer Hayk Arsenyan, a native of Armenia, is a laureate of international piano and composition competitions. He made his orchestral debut at the age of 17 with Radio France Symphony and was awarded a platinum medal by the city of Paris. He has appeared in recitals in the United States, Armenia, Russia, Europe, and the Middle East. In 2007, Arsenyan received the Professional Studies Performance Certificate from the Manhattan School of Music. He holds a master’s degree from the Gnessin Music Academy in Moscow, and a doctor of musical arts degree in piano performance and pedagogy from the University of Iowa. He is currently on the faculty at New York’s University’s Tisch School of the Arts. His program for the concert will feature “Visionary Landscapes” by composer Alan Hovaness.
Tickets for the concert ($25) are available at the Carnegie Hall box office or through the Prelacy office (by calling (212) 689-7810). Musicians interested in participating in next year’s “Musical Armenia” concert can apply for consideration by contacting the Prelacy.
Guest Contributor
She is an Angel …
Noting else
But an Angel
If you look at her eyes
She looks at you
As an Angel
She smiles with the Angels
And breathes with Angelic Soul
She has the genes of Gomidas…
That is enough
I can’t say more…
Sylva-MD-Poetry
Written Instantly after looking at this Angelic Face