NEW YORK—The Armenian-American pianist Kariné Poghosyan will pay tribute to Ludwig van Beethoven (b. Dec. 16, 1770) with a birthday celebration that will also benefit the Armenia Fund USA’s Tchaikovsky School Renovation in Yerevan, Armenia. The celebration will take place on Wed., Dec. 16 at 7 p.m., at the Armenian Evangelical Church, 152 East 34th St.
Kariné Poghosyan
Poghosyan will perform Beethoven’s “32 Variations in C minor, Woo 80,” and his “Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 73” (“Emperor”) with the Anahit Chamber Players, an ensemble comprised of current and former Manhattan School of Music students, conducted by Kyle Ritenauer. Opening remarks will be given by H.E. Ambassador Zohrab Mnatsakanyan of the Permanent Mission of Armenia to the United Nations.
“As an Armenian-American artist, I find that it is my duty to lend support to this vital cause to rebuild the Tchaikovsky Music School in Yerevan,” Poghosyan said. “This school, where so many young Armenian musicians begin to learn their art, is responsible for classical music to not only survive in Armenia, but for it to thrive as well.”
The concert is being made possible by Armenia Fund USA, Eastern Region affiliate; the Armenian Evangelical Church of New York; as well as a generous support from an anonymous donor.
Musical talent abounds in Armenia, where the arts—especially classical music—are revered and important to daily life. The country is home to just one government-funded classical music school, the Tchaikovsky Music School. This institution, which is Armenia’s mecca for young musicians and their musical education, is in desperate need of funding. Renovation is vital to meet the state-of-the-art demands required to train a new generation of musically gifted Armenian youth. For classical music to survive in Armenia, it is essential for this institution to be on par with other world-class music schools in Europe and the United States.
The estimated date of completion for the reconstruction of the Tchaikovsky Music School is September 2016. Armenia Fund USA then plans to invest in new musical instruments, master classes, and international student exchange programs.
“Armenia Fund USA believes that this one-of-a-kind institution is well worth the large-scale investment. Reason enough why the project is and will be the focus of many fundraising appeals while this dilapidated structure transforms into a gleaming contemporary landmark. We are very excited to collaborate with the Armenian Evangelical Church and the Permanent Mission of Armenian to the U.N., presenting this beautiful evening of classical music with Kariné Poghosyan,” said Lisa Stepanian, the Armenia Fund USA’s executive director.
Tickets to the benefit concert are $35 if purchased by Dec. 14, and $45 if bought after that date. To purchase tickets, visit www.aecnyc.org/events or www.facebook.com/armeniafundusa.
About Kariné Poghosyan
The Armenian-American pianist Kariné Poghosyan has been praised for her ability to get to the heart of the works she performs. She made her orchestral debut at 14 playing Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 1,” and her solo Carnegie Hall debut at 23, and has since gone on to win numerous awards as well as perform in some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls. She helped organize the “Requiem and Resurrection” concert in commemoration of the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide at the Saint Vartan Armenian Cathedral in New York. During the 2014-15 season, Poghosyan made her Washington, D.C. debut, in addition to her Toronto, Canada debut, where she gave the Canadian premiere of Alan Hovhannes’s piano concerto “Lousadzak.” Other performance highlights include solo recitals in Montgomery, N.Y., and Richmond, Va., and performing Khachaturian’s “Piano Concerto” with the Greater Newburgh (New York) Symphony under the baton of Woomyung Choe.
Poghosyan’s musical studies began in her native Yerevan in Armenia at the School of the Arts No. 1, continuing at Romanos Melikian College and the Komitas State Conservatory. Her teachers in Armenia included Irina Gazarian, Vatche Umr-Shat, and Svetlana Dadyan. After moving to the United States in 1998, she received her B.M., summa cum laude, from California State University in Northridge under Françoise Regnat, and her M.M. and D.M.A. degrees at the Manhattan School of Music under Arkady Aronov, completing her D.M.A. in a record-breaking two years with a thesis on Aram Khachaturian’s works for piano. She is currently based in New York, where she teaches at Manhattan School of Music.
Poghosyan recently returned from a tour to Vienna, Austria, and Yerevan, Armenia, where she performed to rave reviews the music of Aram Khachaturian featured on her CD, “Khachaturian Original Piano Works and Ballet Transcriptions,” at the Armenian Embassy (Vienna) and at the Khachaturian House Museum (Armenia). The CD was released on the NAXOS label this past April and has been accepted in the first round submission for a Grammy nomination.
About Kyle Ritenauer
Kyle Ritenauer was born and raised in Macedonia, Ohio, and received both his B.M and M.M. degrees from the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied orchestral percussion and was a conducting student in the school’s Contemporary Performance Program studying with Jeffrey Milarsky. He has studied conducting at the Pierre Monteux School in Hancock, Maine, where in 2013 he led a 100th anniversary reading of Le Sacre du Printemps. Ritenauer has worked with some of New York City’s most up and coming music ensembles, including “The Nouveau Classical Project,” where he led a performance of Schoenberg’s “Pierrot Lunaire.” In December 2013, he made his opera debut, leading the filming of a new opera by Syrian composer Zaid Jabri called “Cities of Salt.” Ritenauer is also an active freelance percussionist in New York City and serves as principal percussionist of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic. This year, he performed the world premiere of William C. White’s “Percussion Concerto” with the Youth Orchestra of Prince William and the Hudson Valley Philharmonic.
Source: Armenian Weekly
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