– The Manchester Music Festival’s third concert of the season will spotlight two virtuoso Russian-born musicians: pianist Vassily Primakov and clarinetist Alexey Gorokholinsky.

The concert, “Music From Russia and Armenia,” will take place July 21 at 7:30 PM at the Southern Vermont Arts Center’s Arkell Pavilion on Manchester West Road.

“Russia and Armenia, both part of the old Soviet Bloc, have rich traditions in music and have produced some of the world’s greatest composers,” said Ariel Rudiakov, the Festival’s Artistic Director. “This is an evening not to be missed.”

The Thursday night program will highlight the music of Aram Khachaturian, Modest Mussorgksky and Mikhail Glinka, who is often regarded as the fountainhead of Russian classical music.

On stage with Primakov and Gororkholinsky will be Joana Genova and Jesse Mills, violins; Ariel Rudiakov, viola; Thomas Landschoot, cello; and additional guest artist Steven Moran, double bass. Mills and Landschoot are new to MMF’s faculty this year.

Mr. Landschoot, a native of Belgium, has an international career as a member of the acclaimed Rossetti string quartet and as a soloist. He started his musical life as a top prize winner of the ‘Jeunesse Musicales’ competition in Bucharest, Romania. He is currently on the faculty of Arizona State University and is founder and artistic director of the Sonoran Chamber Music Festival.

Jesse Mills, a two time Grammy award nominee, is also a graduate of the Juilliard School, where he studied with Dorothy DeLay, Robert Mann and Itzhak Perlman.

The July 21 concert program includes Khachaturian’s Trio for clarinet, violin and piano; Glinka’s Grand Sextet in E flat major; and Mussorgsky’s ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’ for solo piano.