Pianist Kariné Poghosyan in Premier Performance

Poghosyan’s program, “Folk Inspirations,” Included Works by Grieg, Liszt, Komitas Vardapet, and Stravinsky NEW YORK, N.Y.—The Armenian-American pianist Kariné Poghosyan performed a premier concert on Saturday, April 30, at 7:30 p.m. at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) in New Haven, Conn. Poghosyan’s recital, inspired by folk songs and titled “Folk Inspirations,” began with Edvard Grieg’s “Three Selections” from “Lyric Pieces – To Spring, Minuet: Vanished Days and Wedding Day at Troldhaugen”—followed by “Three Hungarian Rhapsodies” by Franz Liszt. Poghosyan also featured a work by Komitas Vardapet, the revered Armenian composer, playing his rarely heard “Six Dances for Piano” from 1906. The program ended with three movements from Stravinsky’s “Petrouchka”—“Danse Russe,” “Chez Petrouchka,” and “La Semaine Grasse.” Dr. Craig Hlavac, associate professor and chairperson of the Department of Music at Southern Connecticut University said, “Poghosyan’s performance was as powerful as it was musical; she was aptly able to convey the emotions of the repertoire with precision and finesse. Her interpretations of this complex music were nuanced and clearly demonstrative of her deep understanding of the history of these important works. Kariné is a true virtuoso—it is clear she is a rising star in the piano world.” Johnes Ruta, Independent Curator of New Haven’s Azoth Gallery, also commented, “Kariné Poghosyan’s premier performance at Southern Connecticut State University on Saturday [April 30] brought elegance to the grand piano at Charles Garner Recital Hall. True to her immense talent and power-filled style, dressed in a gorgeous white ball-gown, Ms. Poghosyan’s performances of each piece were inspired, creative, and visionary interpretations of four works by Grieg, Liszt, Komitas Vardapet, and Stravinsky. The common thread of her selections seems to reflect and visualize the landscape of her own Armenian origins, somehow conveying to the mind’s eye the beautiful topography and soul of mountains, hills, valleys, plains, and towns. In her selections from Vardapet’s ‘Six Dances for Piano,’ by this somewhat unfamiliar composer to the West, Kariné portrays terrains of lyricism and sublime mystery.” The Armenian pianist Kariné Poghosyan has been praised for her ability to get to the heart of the works she performs. She made her orchestral debut at 14 playing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1, and her solo Carnegie Hall debut at 23, and has since gone on to win numerous awards as well as performing in some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls. Recently, she helped organize the “Requiem and Resurrection” concert in commemoration of the 95th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide at the Saint Vartan Armenian Cathedral in New York. During the 2014-15 season, Poghosyan made her Washington D.C. debut, in addition to her Toronto, Canada debut where she gave the Canadian premiere of Alan Hovhaness’s Piano Concerto “Lousadzak.” Other performance highlights included solo recitals in Montgomery, New York, and Richmond, Virginia, as well as performing Khachaturian’s Piano Concerto with the Greater Newburgh (N.Y.) Symphony. Poghosyan’s musical studies began in her native Yerevan in Armenia, continuing at Romanos Melikian College and the Komitas State Conservatory. After moving to the United States in 1998, she received her BM, summa cum laude, from California State University in Northridge and her MM and D.M.A. degrees at Manhattan School of Music under Arkady Aronov, completing her D.M.A. in a record-breaking two years with a thesis on Aram Khachaturian’s works for piano. Her CD, “Khachaturian Original Piano Works and Ballet Transcriptions,” was released in April 2015 on the NAXOS label to rave reviews. Most recently, Poghosyan was interviewed by radio host David Osenberg and heard on his award-winning program Cadenza aired and webcast on WWFM. She is currently based in New York where she teaches at Manhattan School of Music. Kariné Poghosyan will be performing her “Folk Inspirations” program featuring the music of Grieg, Liszt, Komitas Vardapet and Stravinsky on Sun., May 22, at 7 p.m. at New York City’s DiMenna Center (located at 450 West 37th Street). This program will be given as part of the Project 142 Concert Series. Tickets are priced at $35; $20 for students and seniors. For information, visit www.project142.org.

Pianist Kariné Poghosyan in Premier Performance

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