Music Institute Of Chicago to Present The Aznavoorian Duo In GEMS FROM ARMENIA

On Sunday, May 15, 2022 at 3:00pm CT, the Music Institute of Chicago will present The Aznavoorian Duo (Marta Aznavoorian, piano and Ani Aznavoorian, cello) in concert at Nichols Concert Hall. The performance celebrates the April release of the duo's Gems from Armenia, an album that celebrates music from the Chicago-raised Armenian-American sisters' ancestral homeland, on Cedille Records. The concert program features selections from the new release, combining the Aznavoorians' Armenian heritage with their American upbringing through works by Komitas Vartabed, Arno Babajanian, Aram Khachaturian, plus the world premiere performance of Peter Boyer's Mount Ararat. A faculty member in the Music Institute's Piano Department since 1999, Marta Aznavoorian is taking on new responsibilities this year as an Artist in Residence.

Peter Boyer composed Mount Ararat for the Aznavoorian Duo specially for this project as a reflection of how Armenia's biblical heritage resonated with a composer from a completely different background. He writes, "To those of Armenian heritage, Mount Ararat holds great significance as a symbol of Armenia. As Ani Aznavoorian has stated, 'countless wars have been fought and lives lost over the land where the mountain lies.' Both that tragic history and impressions of the breathtaking mountain itself were in my mind while composing this music."

The Gems from Armenia album, out Friday, April 8, 2022, includes works by composers Komitas Vartabed, Aram Khachaturian, Arno Babajanian, and Avet Terterian; contemporary Armenian composers Serouj Kradjian, Alexander Arutiunian, and Vache Sharafyan; and the world premiere recording of Mount Ararat by Peter Boyer. The Aznavoorian Duo comments, "The idea for this CD sprung out of gratitude to the proud and soulful people of Armenia and our homage to the historical challenges they have overcome and continue to engage with." In the liner notes, Gary Peter Rejebian writes, "Gems from Armenia voices a range of opposing emotions across three periods of time: some ringing clear in their own right, others but a whisper of other peaks and valleys in the Armenian story."

Performance Information
Music Institute of Chicago Presents The Aznavoorian Duo in Gems from Armenia
Sunday, May 15, 2022 at 3 p.m. CT
Nichols Concert Hall | 1490 Chicago Avenue | Evanston, IL
Tickets: $50 for VIP seating, $25 in advance, $30 at the door. Livestream access $25 at nicholsconcerthall.org
Link: musicinst.org/nch

About The Aznavoorian Duo

Cellist Ani Aznavoorian and pianist Marta Aznavoorian are Armenian-American siblings renowned for their passion, artistry, and energy. The Los Angeles Times describes Ani as a cellist "who shows great sensitivity and great virtuosity at all moments" while The Boston Globe praises Marta as a pianist of "exceptionally finished technique and purity of musical impulse."

Ani Aznavoorian, 15-year principal cello of Camerata Pacifica, is in demand as a soloist and chamber musician with some of the country's most recognized ensembles and has appeared with many of the world's leading orchestras. Marta Aznavoorian has performed to critical acclaim throughout the world as an orchestral soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, and educator and has been nominated for multiple Grammy Awards. She is a founding member of the Lincoln Trio and has a vast discography.

The Aznavoorian Duo has toured France, Armenia, and Finland; performed at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall; and presented numerous programs in their hometown of Chicago. They have individually worked with leading contemporary composers including John Harbison, Clarice Assad, Lera Auerbach, William Bolcom, Osvaldo Golijov, Shulamit Ran, Peter Boyer, Augusta Read Thomas, and Stacy Garrop, among others. Separately, the Aznavoorians have recorded for the Warner Classics, Cedille, ARTEC, and Erato labels.

Ani proudly performs on a cello made in Chicago by her father, Peter Aznavoorian. Marta is a Steinway Artist. Learn more at aniaznavoorian.com and martaaznavoorian.com.

About Nichols Concert Hall

Noted architect Solon S. Beman designed the architecturally and acoustically magnificent First Church of Christ, Scientist, located at 1490 Chicago Avenue in Evanston, in 1912. In 2003, the building was sensitively restored to become Nichols Concert Hall, a state-of-the-art, 550-seat performance space and music education destination, easily accessible to numerous restaurants, on-street and metered parking, and the Davis Street CTA and Metra stations. The converted building, featuring a fully restored, 1914 E. M. Skinner pipe organ, received the Richard H. Driehaus Award for best adaptive use by the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois. Each year Nichols Concert Hall reaches approximately 15,000 people and hosts a world-class chamber music series, workshops and master classes, student recitals, and special events.

About the Music Institute of Chicago

The Music Institute of Chicago leads people toward a lifelong engagement with music through unparalleled teaching, exceptional performances, and valuable service initiatives that educate, inspire, and build strong, healthy communities. Since its founding in 1931, the Music Institute's commitment to innovation, access, and excellence has served as an important community resource and helps to ensure music is available to everyone. Each year, the Music Institute provides personalized music instruction to more than 1,500 students, regardless of age, level of experience, or financial means, across eight Community Music School locations in Chicago, Downers Grove, Evanston, Lake Forest, Lincolnshire, and Winnetka, as well as online. In addition, the Music Institute brings music education, arts curriculum integration, professional development, and music performance and engagement opportunities to thousands in the Chicago area; offers scholarship opportunities to students in its Community Music School and its Academy, a nationally recognized training center for highly gifted pre-college pianists and string players; and (pre-pandemic) welcomes more than 15,000 visitors annually for performances, master classes, and special events at Nichols Concert Hall. For information, visit musicinst.org.

Gems from Armenia Track List

1. Komitas Vartabed (1869-1935) - Chinar Es [2:47]
2. Komitas - Tsirani Tsar [3:13]
3. Komitas - Garoun A* [4:01]
4. Komitas - Al Ailux [1:23]
5. Komitas - Krunk [3:49]
6. Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978) (arr. Antti Hakkarainen) - Ivan Sings [1:41]
7. Khachaturian - Yerevan [3:04]

8. Arno Babajanian (1921-1983) - Elegy* [4:16]
Babajanian - Aria & Dance (5:33)
9. Aria [3:52]
10. Dance [1:40]
Avet Terterian (1929-1994) - Sonata for cello and piano
11. I. Andante [9:19]
12 II. Adagio [6:08]
13 III. Presto [5:06]
14. Serouj Kradjian (b. 1973) - Sari Siroun Yar [4:52]
15. Alexander Arutiunian (1920-2012) - Impromptu [4:25]
16. Vache Sharafyan (b. 1966) - Petrified Dance [5:15]
17. Peter Boyer (b. 1970) - Mount Ararat** [9:31]

Total Time: 75:41

* Solo Piano
** World Premiere Recording

CDR 90000 209
Producer: James Ginsburg
Recording Engineer: Bill Maylone
Recorded August 11-13, 2021 Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts at the University of Chicago

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