PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: info@armenianprelacy.org
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian

April 19, 2004

Musical Armenia Artists
Perform to sold-out Audience

NEW YORK, NY-The twenty-first Musical Armenia Concert took place in front of
an enthusiastic and sold-out audience at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
on Sunday afternoon, March 28, 2004. This year’s concert featured the
outstanding talents of the pianist Karine Poghosyan and the cellist Ani
Kalayjian. Ms. Kalayjian was accompanied by the gifted pianist Barbara
Podgurski.
The Musical Armenia concert series was established in 1982 by the
Armenian Prelacy and the Prelacy Ladies Guild, under the leadership of the
late Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian, who passed away suddenly in December 2003.
Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, the Ladies Guild, and the Musical Armenia
Committee dedicated this year’s concert to Archbishop Mesrob’s memory, in
recognition of the many cultural programs that he conceived, and for his
dedication to Armenian culture and to young artists. Archbishop Mesrob was
very proud of the Musical Armenia program’s longevity and of the consistent
virtuosity of its artists.
Karine Poghosyan led off the concert with a spirited performance of
Beethoven’s Sonata No. 27. She followed that work with two short pieces by
Arno Babajanian, “Elegie” and “Dance of Vagarshapat.” The audience responded
warmly as Ms. Poghosyan captured the emotional depth of these two familiar
Armenian compositions. Her section of the program concluded with the Sonata
No. 2 by Rachmaninoff, which gave her the opportunity to showcase her
technical command and her interpretive approach to the Romantic repertoire.
Ani Kalayjian, accompanied by Barbara Podgurski, led off the second half
of the concert with a confident performance of Robert Schumann’s lyrical
“Stucke im Volkston.” They continued with two Armenian compositions, a
charming “Impromptu” by Aram Arutunian and the familiar “Krunk” by Komitas.
The communication between the performers was apparent in their command of
these pieces. The concert concluded with the Sonata No. 2 by the Czech
composer Bohuslav Martinu, a challenging composition that the performers
addressed with clarity and enthusiasm. Their efforts generated a strong
audience reaction. The three artists appeared together on stage at the end
of the concert and were once more saluted for their excellence.
Twenty-three-year-old Karine Poghosyan was born in Yerevan and began her
musical instruction at the Yerevan School of Fine Arts. Her studies at the
School culminated with a concert performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto
No. 1. She graduated with distinction in 1994 and entered the Romanos
Melikian Musical College to began studies with the renowned Vatche Umrshat.
In 1998, she graduated with high honors from the Melikian College and, that
same year, was awarded Second Prize (no First Prize was earned) at the Arno
Babajanian Second State Piano Competition. At that competition, Ms.
Poghosyan also received special recognition for “Best Concert Etude.”
Ms. Poghosyan relocated to the United States in October 1998 and, in
1999, began the bachelor of music program at California State University,
Northridge under Françoise Regnat. During her studies, she won the CSUN
Symphony Concerto Competition, was a semifinalist in the Hilton Head
International Piano Competition, received scholarship awards from the
Glendale Symphony Orchestra and the Etude Music Club, and, in October 2000,
performed the Liszt Piano Concerto No. 1 with the CSUN Symphony Orchestra.
In 2001, Ms. Poghosyan won the New West Symphony Discovery Artist
competition and auditions for the Beverly Hills “Sundays at Two” Recital
Series, received the Jakob and Bronislaw Gimpel Memorial Award, and was
awarded a scholarship from the National Academy of Recording Arts and
Sciences. That same year, Ms. Poghosyan performed in the “Sundays at Two”
series in Beverly Hills, “Sundays at Two Previews” at Manhattan Beach, as
well as at a commemorative concert in recognition of September 11th tragedy.
In November 2002, she won Fourth Prize at the Los Angeles International
Liszt Piano Competition. Her 2003 performances included the Los Angeles
Liszt Competition “Winners’ Concert” at the Nixon Library, and the
International Keyboard Institute and Festival in New York City. In fall
2003, Ms. Poghosyan moved to New York City as a scholarship student in the
masters program at the Manhattan School of Music, under the direction of
Arkady Aronov.
Cellist Ani Kalayjian has appeared in concert both as a soloist and
chamber musician in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Her recent
performances include appearances at Weill Recital Hall, Steinway Hall, St.
Paul’s Chapel, Scandinavia House, and at Casalmaggiore and Mantova in Italy.
In April 2003, Ms. Kalayjian made her debut at Columbia University’s Miller
Theatre, where she performed the Saint-Saens cello concerto. She was also
selected to participate in Michael Tilson Thomas’ Aaron Copland workshop at
Carnegie Hall where she performed at Zankel and Weill Recital Halls in
November 2003.
Ms. Kalayjian is a graduate of the Mannes College of Music, where she
was a student of Timothy Eddy. She has also studied with Orlando Cole, Aldo
Parisot, and Eleonore Schoenfeld, and has participated in master classes
with Steven Isserlis, Peter Wiley and other notable artists. In addition,
Ms. Kalayjian has studied chamber music with Pamela Frank, Carter Brey,
Colin Carr, Ida Kavafian, Michael Tree, Isidore Cohen, Laurence Lesser,
Jeffrey Kahane, Gilbert Kalish, and the Orion and Emerson string quartets.
Her festival appearances include concerts at Banff, Sarasota, International
Musician’s Seminar at Prussia Cove, Encore, Brevard, Oberlin at
Casalmaggiore, Quartet Program, Music at Menlo, and the New York String
Seminar. At Prussia Cove, she was featured in a BBC documentary playing in a
master class with Steven Isserlis. Currently, Ms. Kalayjian is pursuing her
masters degree at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester,
England, where she is a student of Ralph Kirshbaum.
New York native Barbara Podgurski holds a bachelor of music degree in
piano performance and a master of music degree in both piano performance and
theory from the Mannes College of Music. Her performance work has included
instruction with Martin Canin, Thomas Sauer and Fiorella Canin, and she has
studied music theory with Robert Cuckson and Carl Schachter.
Ms. Podgurski has performed as soloist and chamber musician in the
United States, Canada, and Europe. She has been featured in numerous
television and radio broadcasts, including a number of recent appearances on
WQXR’s Young Artists Showcase and on WNYC’s “Soundcheck.” Her collaborators
include Seymour Lipkin, Jacob Lateiner, Steven Isserlis, Pamela Frank, and
members of the Orion, Borromeo, and Brentano String Quartets. Ms. Podgurski’
s festival appearances include the Banff Arts Festival, Bowdoin Summer Music
Festival, and the Academie Franco-Americaine in Provence.
Ms. Podgurski has performed as soloist and collaborative pianist at Merkin
Hall, Steinway Hall, the Caramoor Center for the Arts, and at Yale
University. She is on the faculty of the Mannes College of Music, the Music
Conservatory of Westchester, and the Point Counterpoint Summer Chamber Music
Festival. Ms. Podgurski is currently in the DMA program at The CUNY Graduate
Center, where she is pursuing her studies with Martin Canin.
The Armenian Prelacy extends its thanks to Musical Armenia’s many
friends for their continued support of the program. Young artists with an
interest in being considered for future concerts in the series are
encouraged to contact the Prelacy.