NEW YORK—Following her critically acclaimed debut last year, Armenian-American pianist Kariné Poghosyan returned to Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall with “Music of My Soul” on May 30.
Performances included DeFalla’s Fantasia Baetica and Khachaturian’s Adagio from Spartacus, as well as several electrifying compositions by Liszt. Described as “The Powerhouse Pianist,” “extraordinary” and “larger than life,” the award-winning musician has been praised for her “ability to get to the heart of the works she performs.”
“This was a deeply meaningful evening as with this very personal program, I opened my heart and soul to the audience, sharing works by some of my most beloved composers,” Poghosyan told the Armenian Weekly.
“It was particularly special to see the full sold-out house on a night of this massive rainstorm. I even heard the emergency flash flood warnings go off on a few phones, which made my heart swell with deep love and gratitude for people braving floods and commuting from all of Tristate to be there. That is the power of great music!” she added.
“Music of My Soul” was presented by the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Armenia to the United Nations. Attendees included ambassadors and delegates of the UN Member States, officials from the UN Secretariat, as well as representatives of the Armenian community.
Poghosyan’s musical studies began in her native Yerevan in Armenia at the School of the Arts No. 1 and continued at Romanos Melikian College and the Komitas State Conservatory. Her teachers in Armenia included Irina Gazarian, Vatche UmrShat and Svetlana Dadyan. After moving to the US in 1998, she graduated Summa Cum Laude from California State University in Northridge (CSUN) under Françoise Regnat, followed by her master’s and doctor of musical arts degrees at Manhattan School of Music under Arkady Aronov. Notably, she completed her DMA in two years with a thesis on Aram Khachaturian’s works for piano.
Poghosyan is currently based in New York, where she teaches at Manhattan School of Music. Her recent CD, Khachaturian Original Piano Works and Ballet Transcriptions, released on the NAXOS label, has received effusive reviews. She was recently signed by Centaur Records and will be releasing her sophomore album Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky later this year.
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