Boston benefit concert to showcase M4FF student musicians
BOSTON – Yerevan’s Music for Future Foundation (M4FF) is proud to present a special fundraising concert at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 18, 2025, at the Scottish Rite Museum and Library in Lexington, Mass. Eight talented young Armenian musicians, ranging in age from 10 to 18, will perform a mix of solo and ensemble works. All proceeds will benefit M4FF, supporting its mission to identify and nurture gifted musicians from Armenia and provide the training and mentorship necessary to compete in the classical music world.
The eclectic program repertoire includes works by Aram Khachaturian, Arno Babadjanian, Ludwig van Beethoven, Frédéric Chopin, Antonín Dvořák, Franz Liszt, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Camille Saint-Saëns. The concert will also feature two Boston premiere performances: Serenade for saxophone by Yuri Gevorkyan, and In Memory of Artskah for piano by Arno Melkonyan, a Yerevan composer, pianist and guitarist and Berklee College of Music alumnus.
International violinist/violist Ara Gregorian, chair of string and piano chamber music at New England Conservatory, will also be on hand to discuss music education and professional music careers in the United States.
Founded in 2019 by Sergey Smbatyan, artistic director and principal conductor of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra and principal conductor of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, M4FF provides unparalleled opportunities for its scholarship recipients. “It is our aim and mission at the Foundation to nurture young talents, expand their educational opportunities and guide them on their path to fulfilling careers in music,” said Smbatyan.
M4FF scholarship holders receive intensive musical training, participate in international performances and masterclasses with world-renowned musicians and attend competitive music festivals. These experiences instill the confidence, discipline and exposure needed to launch professional careers.
Since welcoming its first cohort in 2020, over 80 scholarship holders have participated in the program, performing in festivals across Armenia, Europe and the UAE — including the Livorno Music Festival in Italy, the International Festival of Youth Orchestras and “Moscow Meets Friends” in Russia and the Middle East Classical Music Academy and InClassica in the UAE. Recipients have won awards in numerous international competitions, such as the Khachaturian International Youth Competition and the Santa Cecilia International Competition, earning 144 prizes, including more than 20 Grand Prix and over 80 first-prize titles.
M4FF students have been admitted to leading music institutions worldwide, including the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, Cologne University of Music and Dance, Royal Academy of Music in London, Detmold University of Music, Zurich University of the Arts, Zagreb Academy of Music, Mozarteum University Salzburg and Folkwang University of the Arts in Germany.
Tickets are $25 for students and $50 to $75 for adults. All are invited to a post-concert reception, where audience members will have the opportunity to meet the performers and learn more about M4FF’s mission and impact.
This event is hosted by Friends of the Armenian Culture Society (FACS). Ticket sales and additional information are available at www.facsboston.org.
