Armenian youth take center stage at FACS concert

On Saturday, October 18, the young musicians of Armenia’s Music for the Future Foundation (M4FF) delivered an unforgettable performance at the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum and Library in Lexington, Mass.

Organized by the Friends of Armenian Culture Society (FACS), the event showcased the talent of performers aged 10 to 18 — artists who embody the bright promise of Armenia’s musical future.

Before the concert began, Dr. Armineh Mirzabegian (FACS) and Anna Ter-Hovakimyan (Music for the Future Foundation) addressed the audience, introducing the purpose of the event and the missions of their respective organizations. A short documentary about the Music for the Future Foundation was then screened.

The program was rich and diverse, with the young performers radiating confidence and energy.

In the first half, accompanied by pianist Lilit Zakaryan, the following musicians performed:

• Aren Toplaghaltsyan, 12, cello – Camille Saint-Saëns’ Allegro Appassionato
• Eduard Dayan, 16, violin – Maurice Ravel’s Tzigane
• Lilit Stepanyan, 16, bass clarinet – Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise
• Mikael Harutyunyan, 14, saxophone – Yuri Gevorgyan’s Serenade and a special jazz arrangement of a work by Niccolò Paganini.

The youngest among them, 12-year-old Toplaghaltsyan, who also plays flute and guitar and studies Japanese, performed Saint-Saëns’ short but technically demanding piece with poise and precision, captivating the audience. 

Dayan, passionate about history, geography and cinema, held his violin close as he interpreted Ravel’s masterful Tzigane.

Stepanyan, also an experienced dancer, delivered Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise with remarkable sensitivity and control, moving the audience with the warm tones of her bass clarinet.

Stepping outside the classical genre, Harutyunyan impressed with his lively jazz rendition of a Paganini piece after performing Gevorgyan’s Serenade.

At the conclusion of the first half, Ara Gregorian, head of strings and piano at the New England Conservatory, offered words of praise for the initiative and extended heartfelt wishes for continued success.

The second half opened with Dayan once again taking the stage to perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s Adagio from Sonata No. 1.

Next, Arno Melkonyan, a student at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, performed his own composition dedicated to Artsakh — expressing his anger, grief and emotion through alternating soft and powerful strokes on the piano.

15-year-old Robert Seyranyan, already the recipient of multiple awards, played Komitas’ Krunk and Aram Khachaturian’s Song-Poem, accompanied by pianist Lilit Zakaryan.

Next came Eduard Sargsyan, born in Stepanakert, Artsakh, who presented a challenging piece: Frédéric Chopin’s Scherzo No. 3.

The program concluded with a movement from Beethoven’s Piano Trio No. 3, performed by cellist Aren Toplaghaltsyan and violinist Eduard Dayan, accompanied by Boston-based pianist Vardan Arakelyan.

The concert ended with long and enthusiastic applause. On behalf of the FACS, Dr. Mirzabegian expressed gratitude to all who contributed to the event.

A video message of thanks from Sergey Smbatyan, founder of the M4FF, was then shown.

Proceeds from the concert were donated to the Music for the Future Foundation, which nurtures Armenia’s young, gifted musicians and provides them with advanced educational and professional opportunities.

Founded in 2019 by Smbatyan, artistic director and principal conductor of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, the foundation has guided its young stars into some of the world’s most prestigious music institutions, including the conservatories of Vienna, Cologne, London, Zurich, Zagreb and Salzburg. They receive professional training, participate in international performances and masterclasses with renowned musicians, and take part in music festivals — important steps toward becoming internationally-recognized artists.

Since its first graduates in 2020, more than 80 scholarship recipients have participated in foundation programs and won prizes in numerous international competitions.

“Our mission and goal,” Smbatyan emphasized, “is to nurture young talents, expand their learning opportunities and guide them toward success in their musical careers.”