A stunning 40th Musical Armenia concert at Carnegie Hall

On March 9, the 40th Musical Armenia concert featured two young artists on the renowned Carnegie Hall stage. The enthusiasm was palpable as a full audience gathered to hear performances by Vartan Arakelian and Arno Melkonyan. 

Musical Armenia, established by the Eastern Prelacy under Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian, has been held almost every year since 1982, drawing music lovers from throughout New York and nearby metropolitan areas.

“Music has no borders,” wrote the Prelate of the Eastern Prelacy, Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian, in the program booklet. “Perhaps more than any other form of artistic creation, it immediately and quintessentially becomes part of the universal heritage.” 

Revelations 

17-year-old pianist Vartan Arakelian brought those words to life. Following words of welcome by Musical Armenia committee member Levon Tatevossian, Arakelian strode confidently onto a stage decorated with fall flowers. He took his seat at the Steinway grand piano, paused thoughtfully for a minute and started his program by beloved classical composers. 

He opened with Bach’s “Partita No. 2 in C minor,” an intricately fingered dark piece, demanding exceptional dexterity. Beethoven’s “Sonata No. 4 in E-flat major” followed, its spacious melodies building to a dramatic climax. Chopin’s “Nocturne in C minor” has been hailed by critics as “musical poetry,” Archbishop Anoushavan wrote. Starting slow and meditative, with soulful melodies and chords, it builds to a powerful climax, which elicited lengthy applause from the audience. Schumann’s “Novelletten,” a set of eight pieces for solo piano, demonstrated the young pianist’s keyboard mastery. 

Arakelian concluded his program with Arno Babadjanian’s “Six Pictures for Piano,” showing not only his prowess in the classical genre but also love for his Armenian ancestry. Babadjanian is one of the most prolific and celebrated composers of Armenia. Arakelian gave this work the flavor it deserved, earning a lengthy standing ovation. 

Armenian musical inventions 

Following the intermission, 21-year-old pianist and composer Arno Melkonyan presented a creative program dedicated to his homeland. He began with Babadjanian’s “Prelude,” a folk-inspired presentation influenced by Rachmaninoff and Khachaturian.

His own composition, “Wedding Song,” began with quiet thoughtfulness and built to joyous celebration, enhanced by Iranian-born Alireza Khodayari on the tar, whose playing brought out the piece’s soulful essence. 

Melkonyan’s “Patriotic Rhapsody” paid tribute to his mother, who “used to sing it in our Armenian church,” he wrote. The piece is “an exploration of my Armenian roots and patriotism,” he explained. Melkonyan evoked his feelings on piano, accompanied by violinist Alisa Shin and cellist Queralt Giralt. 

“String Quartet No. 1,” making its live debut, painted a feeling of sheer loneliness, reflecting Melkonyan’s feelings during his first year of university in the United States. Through many meaningful connections, it concluded with a dash of optimism. Violinists Alisa Shin and Analuna Chahine, violist Minjun Seo and cellist Queralt Giralt accompanied the pianist. 

The final composition, “In Memory of Artsakh,” was dedicated to Artsakh’s courageous people who were forced out of their homeland, with Melkonyan writing, “to what once was and hopefully will be again.”  The first movement, “Vardavar in Stepanakert,” evoked Melkonyan’s memories visiting Artsakh with his father at nine years old.

Part two of this profound piece, “Elegy for the Fallen,” depicted the war and his grief during the exodus. “I heard the distant screams of my nation,” Melkonyan wrote. The finale, “Hope of Rebirth,” was a “show of light in the darkness, a sunrise after the long night, symbolizing the spirit of resilience and the profound hope that Artsakh will rise again.” 

As the emotional music ended, the crowd rose to their feet, many in tears, giving the composer and pianist an ovation that lasted several minutes. 

As the performers came onto the stage, Musical Armenia committee members Levon Tatevossian and Annita Nerses presented them with beautiful bouquets amid sustained applause, closing an afternoon of soulful and moving music. 

Following the concert, Archbishop Anoushavan hosted a gala reception at the Armenian Prelacy headquarters. As the artists, instrumentalists and Musical Armenia committee members lined up, the Prelate emphasized the importance of “bringing our input and inspiration into art and music.” 

A promising future  

Vartan Arakelian began studying piano at the age of four and has since earned numerous accolades, including an award at the 2025 National YoungArts Competition and second place in the 2024-2025 Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Concerto Competition. At age 15, he also won second place at the 2023 International Chopin Piano Competition.

His honors also include: finalist at the 2023 Boston Pops Fidelity Investments Young Artists Competition, first prize at the 2022 New England Piano Teachers’ Association Mildred Freiberg Competition, and prize winner at the Back Bay music contest and at the Paderewski International Piano Competition.

On many occasions, Arakelian has performed at the Carnegie Weill Recital Hall. In Boston, where he is a high school student, he has performed with friends at senior centers. Arakelian established student concerts with Music for Food to raise awareness about food insecurity and fight hunger in local communities. Every year, he performs in NEPTA’s Music for Hope charity recital.   

Pianist, guitarist and composer Arno Melkonyan started his musical journey at age nine in Yerevan. Having lived in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, he now studies music composition at Berklee College of Music, where he serves as treasurer of the Society of Composers. In his varied compositional modes, he combines influences from the Romantic era, jazz fusion themes, and his deeply ingrained Armenian folk and religious chant traditions.

Always trying to expand his musical journey, Melkonyan seeks new-found inspiration from diverse contacts and experiences. 

The Musical Armenia committee included Julie Kedersha, Sophie Khachatryan, Annita Nerses, Varsenne Sarkissian and Levon Tatevossian. The art direction and design were by Gregory Dosttur.